"I felt like a plague victim. Alone. Gone were the days of sugar, take-aways, fast food, and a passion for chocolate."
Colin is 55 years old and lives in Bucknall with his wife and son. His hobbies include waterways and music.
My story is about how I found out I was diabetic and how my wife and I cope with the day to day issues of living with diabetes. I hope through telling my story to raise awareness of managing the condition and possibly help others do the same. It's funny how you remember things...looking up at my drips in hospital with the price on, on holiday in the Loire Valley. I'd been admitted with an infection in my arm. Little did I realise how this was to change my life forever. During the night a nurse told me that I had sugar in my wee wee. My heart sank. I understood. My mum had died recently through kidney failure caused by diabetes. After we'd cancelled the holiday and raced back home it was confirmed that I was a Type 2 diabetic. Overweight and over forty. I felt like a plague victim. Alone. Gone were the days of sugar, take-aways, fast food, and a passion for chocolate. My wife cleared the fridge and cupboards out, getting rid of all the sugary and fatty foods. I thought 'right, I've got to live with this. Be positive. Think of Steve Redgrave, rowing for gold and he's a diabetic.' OK, I've had to lose weight, take medication, eat a healthy diet, know my numbers exercise. I only have my treats: chocolate that is, very occasionally. So what. I can live with that. Even though as a chef, it's not always easy! There's no cure for diabetes, but you can manage it. You have to. I've seen and heard what happens when you don't and there's some real horror stories. I'm passionate now about making people aware of diabetes - how you can look out for it, how you can manage it. There is hope for a cure. I hope it's within my lifetime.
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