‘When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, aged nine, the first thing my mother did was take me on a hiking holiday around the Isle of Wight.
Looking back, I think she was trying to show me that life with diabetes needn’t be limiting. ‘I come from an active family and grew up orienteering, walking, swimming and skiing. I never thought there was anything I couldn’t do with diabetes, but it’s undoubtedly a challenging condition to manage. When you have to take insulin you learn to deal with hypos (hypoglycaemic episodes, where your blood glucose level drops). In the past, I always had to inject insulin, but these days I use an insulin pump and a blood sugar sensor, so it’s much easier to monitor your levels and tailor your dose.