Life with diabetes can be hard. But then again, can't everything? I mean the first time you rode a bike you fell off a few times before you know what you were doing. It's kind of the same in diabetes, to get it right you have to get it wrong a few times first.

I've had diabetes since I was two years old, so I can't really remember life without it. I think on the whole diabetes has changed me as a person. I don't think that I would have been as empathic towards people suffering with conditions because I would not have known what it felt like to be in that position. Sometimes I feel sad because I don't want to have to bother with everything but my mum has always said 'there's no point in getting down' and when I think about it she's right. There is no point in getting down. I can't change anything by feeling upset so why do it to myself?

I've never tried to hide the fact I have diabetes. It makes me feel unique. Sometimes the topic comes up in conversation and people ask me questions. I'm happy to answer because I know they're only interested. I can understand that some people find it hard telling people about their diabetes because they don't want to stand out in front of everyone. I think sometimes people are scared of what others may think. But, if people are true friends, they will understand.

Sometimes I wish that people in hospitals would think more before they talk. A doctor once said to me in front of my parents 'Has mum not been letting you eat what you want?' I just said that I can eat what I want because usually there is always a way. I felt sorry for my mum because I didn't want her to feel like 'the bad guy' in front of everyone when she is in fact, the opposite. Another time a diabetes nurse once said to my parents that I should not be checking my blood sugar six times a day. I was not there at the time but I wish I had been. This was a few years ago and managing diabetes at that time was specifically hard and I just wish that I would have been able to tell her that she wrong and that if I needed to then I would.

My family and friends support me through thick and thin. My parents are always there for me and I sometimes feel I need this support. My brother helps me and I have let him do my blood sugar test. As for my friends... my mum always said that as I got older I would find friends who really cared and would understand. Recently I have found two friends that do care and one of them tried to do my blood sugar test. I feel that people with diabetes should get support from family and friends because without this support, it is very hard to cope on your own. True friends will always help you through everything.

I don't let diabetes stop me. I mean in some senses it can be very hard, like if you want to have a massive dish of pasta and then a bag of candyfloss and a sticky toffee pudding it is hard to manage. But it doesn't stop me going on school trips or doing PE. Sometimes it is hard when my sugar is low and I want to do PE but you have to deal with these things because there is no point feeling bad about the things that you can't change. What do I think of diabetes in general? Well I think that diabetes is one of the hardest things to live with but I also believe that it makes you stronger as a person. It gives you the chance to develop will-power where others have not had the chance. It lets me express my emotions to family freely about how I feel things are going. Sometimes having diabetes can almost make you feel like a burden. I don't want to have to let family get up to check my blood sugar in the night. I know that I will always have someone to talk to but sometimes I almost feel bad that I have to have people look after me in such a way. Sometimes it can be embarrassing if my sugar level has gone very high, it all seems like I am making such a fuss having to come out of lessons, but inside of me I know that it is necessary and it can be dangerous.

When people are unfamiliar with the condition there expression is almost comical. Because I am so used to diabetes, saying that my sugar is high or low seems normal. But many who are unfamiliar with diabetes seem horrified and worry about me. I just take it with a pinch of salt. Eventually, they calm down and start to see it from my point of view a point of view which is not obscured with confusion and unfamiliarity. I think that I am very lucky. I have family and friends that support me. Yes, some people may think that I am 'attention seeking' or being awkward but I am not. I love having the support of those around me and even though I may doubt myself sometimes I know that there will always be people here to stay close to me and make sure I am okay. I feel privileged to have people around me that understand the condition. Some people with diabetes do not have this support and I can understand how hard it is for them. I think that everyone out there is there own person and that diabetes is just another part of them. It is a part of their entire being because without it they may be a completely different person.

I would just like to say thank you for taking the time to read my essay.