When I was three years and six months old, I was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes. One day me and my parents went to McDonalds, I ended up drinking three cokes. When I got home I went in to the toilet and started drinking out of the taps. My mum took me to the hospital and a few hours later I was diagnosed. All I can remember in the hospital was the nurse chasing me around the ward with a hypodermic syringe, while I squirted the nurse with a toy syringe.

Diabetes has never stopped me doing anything, in nursery at snack time I ate a piece of fruit just like everyone else, I ate my dinner just like everyone else, the only difference being that I got to go in 5 minutes before everyone else. I have never classed Diabetes as a disability, as I did everything as if I was just a normal child.

As I grew up more and more people started asking me what Diabetes is, I could never answer. They would say "is it were you need more sugar," I couldn't give them a proper answer because sometimes I need more sugar sometimes I need to reduce the amount of sugar in my blood. Diabetes got really confusing for me and my friends. I remember my mum coming to school every dinner time while I was in the junior section of my primary school, my mum coming to school to test my blood sugar.

When I was 1st diagnosed I was on 2 injections of rather small doses, I'm now on four so I can eat a wider range of food with more freedom in what I eat and when I eat it. As I grew older I began to grow more fond of the fact that I was diagnosed early in my life, I wouldn't be able to tell you how my life would be different even if I wanted to.

I used to be really excited about trying new technology which might help make diabetes easier to manage. I remember hearing about a watch which tested your blood sugar, it didn't prick you although when you did exercise the watch moved so it didn't give you a reading. I always wondered how people came up with these creative ideas. My life was going fine, it felt like I had to climb a mountain when I was told I had to have an extra injection each day. Although once I got used to the idea it all worked out for the better I could eat food I wanted, and it meant Diabetes wouldn't control what I eat.

I remember having to go to hospital because of a tummy bug which gave me ketones, as far as hospitals go it was rather pleasant, I didn't have to do any injections, they had me on tubes supplying me medicine which included insulin if I remember right. I also met the guy who plays R2D2 on star wars, he came to my ward. My Dad used to weigh everything I ate to make sure I got the correct amount. My parents talk to me about when they had to inject me with hypodermic needles and how they had to mix the insulin themselves. It all sounded so difficult, Then the insulin pen was introduced, I don't remember all that time ago but I bet my parents were extremely happy.

I have reasonably good control of my diabetes, thanks to my parents and the diabetic nurses at the hospital. Lately the hospital staff have been asking me to start carbohydrate counting which may increase the chance of me getting an insulin pump to increase the control I have of my diabetes, in the future someone will hopefully make the artificial pancreas idea true and fundable then I'd be able to live life to the full with full control and a full stomach without having to do a blood test to prove my stomach is empty and my blood sugar level is low. I'm going to play a basketball tournament in Spain in the summer, and next year I'm going skiing in the advanced group, hopefully to get a chance to get a scholarship to an instructor school. This is just proof, diabetes has never stopped me.