Isabelle Smith

My Story

Welcome to my Diabetes UK Wellness Walk fundraising page!

I’m taking part in the Diabetes UK Walk to raise money and awareness for something that has been a huge part of my life for the past 11 years — Type 1 diabetes.

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in my last year of primary school, and since then there has never really been a day off from diabetes. It’s something that I have to think about every single day, often in ways that other people don’t see.

There’s so much more to living with Type 1 diabetes than simply taking insulin. Every day involves thinking about what I’m eating, when I’m eating it, how much insulin I need, what exercise I’m doing, my blood sugar levels, my mood and stress levels, whether I’m getting ill, and so many other little things that can affect my blood sugars. Even when I’m asleep, my diabetes doesn’t switch off.

When I was first diagnosed, managing my diabetes meant finger-pricking my blood sugar multiple times a day — most days more than 10 times — as well as injecting myself around five times a day. I had to learn very quickly how to manage something that I would be living with for the rest of my life.

Thankfully, over the 11 years since my diagnosis, research and technology have come such a long way. I now use insulin pump therapy alongside a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, which allows me to monitor my glucose levels without having to constantly finger-prick and gives me much more flexibility in managing my diabetes.

These technologies have made such a difference, but they don’t mean that diabetes is easy. There is still a huge amount of thought, planning and mental energy that goes into managing it every single day. 

Thank you for your support.

Izzy💙