was diagnosed at 20 months old so I have no memories of a time without injections and blood tests. Although some people would think it sad that I was diagnosed at such a young age, I think I'm quite lucky. Because I've grown up with diabetes it's just part of my everyday that I've adjusted to. I've spoken to other people my age who tell me the day they were diagnosed with diabetes was the worst of their life and I'm actually quite grateful I didn't have to go through that. Obviously having diabetes isn't something I'm grateful for, I'm just glad it's something

I've learned to live with. My mum has always told me "don't let it beat you" and I've taken that with me over the years. I won't let having diabetes stop me from doing what I want to do. If I want to go ahead and eat a large pizza followed by a huge wodge of cake followed by some ice cream you can bet I'll do it! I revolve my insulin around what I eat, not what I eat around my insulin. It irritates me a bit when people say things like "are you sure you're allowed to eat that?" I know their only being considerate, but I wish they knew that I can eat what I like as long as I do the correct amount of insulin with it.

People automatically assume the worst part of diabetes is the injections. I don't think it is, I'm used to sticking needles in my leg. I think the worst part of diabetes is times like when i wake up at three in the morning feel as if my blood sugars low when it isn't, or when your levels rise for no apparent reason. Times like that are the most annoying! Other than that i feel like i can manage with it and i always try not to make a big thing out of it.

I don't look at myself any differently because of diabetes. I don't see why it should have to have an impact on the way i live my life. I'll go out and do the same things as my friends, i behave the same way as my friends, and i'm just like any other teenager. Looking at me you wouldn't be able to tell i have diabetes, so why should it have to be a strain all the time?

I'm really lucky to have such caring people. My parents look after me so well and make sure I'm on top of things, they're amazing support to me. My best friend is also amazing, the day I told her I had diabetes she spent the whole night reading about it on the internet because she wanted to understand. I don't think I would cope with it as well if I didn't have that support. I don't like to make a big fuss about it so I don't tell many people. I only tell my close friends, it's not because I'm embarrassed to tell people, I just don't think is necessary to tell everyone. It saves me having to explain it to a lot of people and I'm proud of the fact that when I do tell people they say they would have never guessed because I don't make a big deal of it. I like being discreet. I’m quite good at doing my insulin without people realising. I did it on a school trip with ten other people around the table, i do it in the toilets at school, i even did it under the table in an art exam recently! I like not going on about it or making a big deal as it makes me feel more grown up, like I have it under control. Though I'm not going to lie, a lot of the time I don't have it under control, far from it really! I sometimes feel that a lot of the doctors at the hospital think your blood sugar is only affected by what you eat and how much insulin you do. I know that other things can drive my sugar levels up, for example, adrenaline and nerves or stress and upset. Being a teenager has a large affect on my sugar levels also. I sometimes get upset speaking with doctors because I don't feel they understand, I don't mean to criticise; I just feel people can't fully understand diabetes unless they live with it. It must seem quite simple, you eat and you do your insulin. But of course it is a lot more complicated, I sometimes get the feeling doctors don't understand that. I'm still very grateful I get the support I do and I know there is always someone I can talk to about it, I think that's a good thing for people my age to have.

I also have an older sister with diabetes, she was diagnosed at an older age than i was. We don't often talk about diabetes cause its not exactly interesting to talk about! We often joke about it though. We'll compare scores in the morning and whoever’s got the better score usually sticks there tongue out and says something stupid like "nahnah last donuts mine then!"

Most of the time I'm quite positive though, I just think I could be far worse off, and there's not a lot of point in moping about thinking "why me?" as it won't solve anything. It only makes me feel upset and I know it upsets the people who care about me as well. I think having diabetes makes you a strong person because you have to have the power to not let it hold you back, which is difficult as it's such a big part of your life. When I think about other people with conditions that put them in wheelchairs, or people who are blind or deaf, I count myself quite lucky. Diabetes is a challenge, but at least most of the time I can just get on with my life. I also thought I'd mention that I don't like the word 'diabetic'. It feels like a label that you're given. It takes away your name, you are no longer a person you're a diabetic. I just say I have diabetes as it's not the whole of me; it's only a part of me!

When my dad suggested I wrote an essay for this competition i was actually looking forward to it. It wasn't that I wanted to win the competition; i was just excited to share some of my views on diabetes. I also quite enjoy writing about it because there is not always someone who wants to listen to me go on about it. Reading this back I've moaned quite a lot, but it's good to get it down onto a page! The competitions given me an opportunity to realise how i actually feel about living with diabetes...at the end of the day I see diabetes as a challenge, and I want to win at it as much as I can.