JDRF | Type 1 Diabetes

Having taken part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride late last year the Campaign Continues! Owing to a number of very generous donations from Friends, Family, Clients and Contractors whom we use through work I was able to raise an incredible £1,075 for Noah's Ark Childrens Hospice as well as £725 for JDRF but as the old saying goes, "the show must go on" and I do not want to withdraw funds until such time as I have reached another benchmark. It would be a pleasure to be able to reach at least £1,000 for JDRF as well and whilst I have not chosen any form of endurance or activity in the early stages of the New Year I plan to reach my goals and even surpass it if possible.

Below (not in bold) is the previous passage i wrote about my brother and the reason WHY i wanted to raise money for such an amazing charity. Of course it comes with the personal tie now but even more so the awareness I have gained about the condition and how it is made manageable and controllable has amazed me and this is thanks to those that are working with, donating to and supporting such an amazing charity.

By way of an update my brother, Sam, he is doing incredibly well - of course he has fluctuating days where he cannot keep his levels from spiking but I have witnessed my brother truly grow up. He appears to be more eloquent when he speaks, he is more conscious of others around him and he has lost a little bit of timber that we once teased him about. He is so well informed, sometimes a little too much and i have to tell him to pack it in but it is great to see and hear. The biggest news was that the captain of the yacht took a liking to Sam and from what I later learned, also once suffered a scare that nearly lead him to retire from his chosen career. This being the case, the Captain worked with Sam to prove that he was healthy, competent and able to work on the boat again. The process was long, arduous and involved many an opinion; letters had to be written, forms submitted, medical records obtained, levels monitored, recorded and submitted but he got there in the end and returned to the boat to work with the crew that helped get him seen to and treated in his time of need.

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At the age of 24, my brother has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and truth be told, I personally, knew absolutely nothing about the condition. My parents, again, knew very little about the  complexities of living with Diabetes and my 3 other siblings equally as ill-informed on the subject. 

My parents took a call from Sam's captain. He had not long landed a dream job working on the Yachts in and around the South of France when all of a sudden his life was turned on its' head. One day Sam felt uneasy on his feet - Sea Legs suspected but when he went to sleep and woke up feeling no better he asked to be taken to hospital. The next thing he knew, he was waking up there! Sudden weight loss, tingling sensations and many a symptom pointed to the later diagnosis. A week past and the condition was confirmed. Along with being diagnosed he was also told that he could no longer work on the yachts as it was against the policy and for his own safety agreed to return home. 

Now none of this is about me, how I feel or how we as a family have reacted but what we can all say is just how well Sam is doing in understanding, learning, treating and more importantly, coping, with this potentially life-limiting and certainly demoralising lifestyle. He is now so aware of the condition and will continue to learn, grow and embrace everything there is to take on and if we can understand it half as much as he can, we would all be better placed to support him and any others that come into our life that may suffer in the same way.

Raising money for research into Type 1 Diabetes is one thing but raising awareness is our main goal, this is our reason why! 

Thank you for taking the time to read a little of Sam's story from a family members perspective. Your support is hugely appreciated.