Celebrating my 10th ‘Diabirthday’:A decade of living with Type 1 Diabetes

Ten years ago, my life changed forever. 

Waking up in the back of an ambulance isn’t an ideal end to a family holiday, but that’s where I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness, speeding towards a hospital in the French Alps.

For weeks, I had been ill with what I now know are clear symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes — extreme thirst, fatigue, and dramatic weight loss. Like most of the population, however, I was completely unaware of the signs.

My blood sugar had likely been hovering at a nearly fatal level for quite some time, but it took a night of hallucinations for the penny to finally drop that something was probably wrong. 

In brief, Type 1 Diabetes means your pancreas doesn’t produce insulin. Insulin is what allows your cells to absorb sugar from your blood. Too little insulin — your blood sugar spikes. Too much — it drops. 

High blood sugar feels like a hangover without all the fun the night before. Unlike a hangover, a big breakfast roll from Munch will make you feel drastically worse. I don’t have the space to try to explain what low blood sugar feels like. But it's weird. 

Living with Type 1 is like having a full-time job. I constantly have to monitor my blood sugar and deliver insulin whenever I eat. If I underestimate the number of carbohydrates in a ham sandwich, it can ruin my afternoon. 

It’s an extremely aggravating condition. In a cruel twist of irony, being frustrated about high blood sugar releases a hormone that makes your blood sugar go even higher. 

Whilst diabetes is clearly a pain in the proverbial, it has also taught me some important lessons, and not just the number of carbohydrates in a lamb vindaloo, or how to chop exactly 140ml of Coca Cola at 3 in the morning. More than anything, it has shown me the kindness of strangers. There are Facebook groups dedicated to the sharing of emergency medical supplies. Wherever you are in the world, there are strangers who will drop everything to come and help you. 

I found myself stranded in Hamburg a few summers ago without a spare insulin pump. A friendly Berliner offered to travel four hours to help me, asking nothing but that I pay the favour forward. 

The diabetic community is very close-knit. As anyone living with a chronic condition will tell you, only fellow sufferers can really understand the everyday trials and tribulations. 

It’s always nice to bump into another diabetic in St Andrews. I got into a lengthy discussion with a fellow diabetic at Oktoberfest, as we compared our approaches to tackling the booze fest. German lager is carbohydrate-heavy, but the alcohol content leads to a late drop in blood sugar. As a result, we have more than hangovers to contend with. 

Technological advances have made life for diabetics a whole lot easier. A century ago, Type 1 Diabetes was a death sentence. Now, medical equipment is able to artificially simulate a pancreas and regulate blood sugar. 

Despite the medical advances, a lack of awareness about Type 1 persists, particularly given that almost one in ten people in the UK lives with a form of diabetes. 

In 2025, eight-year-old Lyla Story died in hospital after doctors failed to identify her symptoms as diabetes. 

Lyla’s parents launched a petition vying for funding to ensure all children are offered routine testing for Type 1 as part of health check-ups. ‘Lyla’s Law’ was debated in parliament in March, but the government announced “no plans to introduce [mandatory testing] at the current time.” 

The symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes are obvious and simple to remember by the four-Ts (taken from the Diabetes UK website):

• Toilet - going for a wee more often, especially at night.

• Thirsty - being constantly thirsty and not being able to quench it.

• Tired - being incredibly tired and having no energy.

• Thinner - losing weight without trying to, or looking thinner than usual.

If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, see a doctor immediately. 

Illustration by Mokshita Nagandla