Did you know that someone is diagnosed with diabetes every two minutes? And over 13 million people in the UK alone are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes?

It is Diabetes Awareness week here in the UK, as a person living and working with diabetes, I thought it was time to give an update from my last blog several years back.

When I put pen to paper 5 years ago, I had just received my diagnosis, so I wrote about all the different emotions you feel when you receive life altering news and the things that I needed to change in order to try and live as normal a life as possible. 

This week is all about raising awareness around diabetes, with a focus on sharing your story with the community and the world around us, so here is mine.

My journey is a little different to most, the average age that someone with Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed is around 13, however, I did not receive my diagnosis until I was 19 and even then, I was misdiagnosed due to my age. Whilst most people find that they have numerous mild symptoms which, when added together, give you diabetes, I did not. I was unlucky enough to a suffer from another condition that no matter what we tried we just could not get under control, meaning that I needed to see a specialist and, for my referral to go ahead, they first had to test me for diabetes.  

Both myself and my GP had a massive shock when it came back that I did in fact have diabetes. It was first believed that I suffered from Type 2 diabetes, due to my age and weight, however, after several years and numerous tests, 3 years ago it was confirmed that I actually have Type 1 diabetes. 

I was in utter disbelief, after spending years learning how to manage my diet and lifestyle, I had to do a complete 180 turn, forget about everything I thought I knew and teach myself a different way to control my blood sugars and overall health. I also had to deal with my mental health and get the courage to inject myself multiple times a day. 3 years on and many courses provided by the NHS, I am finally on track and feel myself starting to have a life that is as normal as possible.

None of this would have occurred if it I did not have the incredible support of all at Interlink Recruitment. They have allowed me the time to focus on absorbing the copious amount of information that has been thrown at me these past 5 years. They are always very understanding when it comes to taking time out of work for appointments and any other issues that have arisen from having this condition. I do not think that I would be where I am today if I did not have my Interlink family, who are always there for me, whether it is as a shoulder to cry on or for celebrating the great days!

If you had asked me 5 years ago how I felt about having diabetes, I honestly thought my life was over.

These past 5 years have made me the person that I am today, stronger, healthier and happier!