As Diabetes Awareness Week gets under way, Marion Sauvebois explores the many faces of the condition.

ABBIE Mercer was just shy of her 16th birthday when her carefree childhood ground to a screeching halt.

Finally doctors had discovered the cause of her alarming weight loss and unquenchable thirst: she had Type 1 diabetes and would for the rest of her life.

At a time when virtually no information or support was available to diabetics, navigating the debilitating condition and keeping herself out of harm's way seemed like fighting a losing and never-ending battle.

“It took me a long time to come to terms with it,” said the 37-year-old from Old Town.

“15 was a tricky age at best let alone having something like this to impact you. When I was 15 some form of counselling would have helped me but there was no support or support groups then. It was a case of being left to our own devices.

“Nobody in my family had the condition and we had to learn quickly what it involved. It affected the whole family. Sometimes we got it right and sometimes we got it wrong.

"When I was younger I had lots of hypos - which is very low blood sugar and it resulted in fits - I would go unconscious.”

Type 1 diabetes develops when the body becomes unable to produce any insulin. No one can do anything to prevent developing Type 1. Abbie injects insulin into her body five times a day. But she recently applied for a pump, which would release a steady flow of short-acting insulin in her bloodstream around the clock to keep her blood glucose stable.

Despite a rocky start dictated by trial and error, she never allowed the condition to hinder her over the past two decades.

“A lot of time has passed since then and I am in full control of my diabetes,” she added. “I’m at peace with that and I’m lucky I have a condition that can be managed and doesn’t have an impact on my life."

As much ignorance still surrounds Type 1 diabetes and its counterpart, Type 2, the mother-of-one is keen to educate the people around her and ensure no barrier stands between sufferers and the public in a town where more than 1,000 people have Type 1 diabetes and more than 11,000 Type 2.

“There are huge misconceptions of Type 1 and Type 2 and I’ve been asked before if it would go away if I lost weight. Type 1 is in your genes, I couldn’t avoid it," she said.

“Most people with Type 1 want people to become more aware. It can only help if people around them ask questions and want to know more. I would encourage people who have questions to ask them. Information is power and ignorance will breed negativity and misconceptions.”

As a patient representative for Diabetes UK, she is now on a mission to ensure diabetic women hoping to start a family are equipped with the right medical information and support.

To find out more about diabetes visit www.diabetes.org.uk

SOON after his diagnosis David Parks vowed not to allow diabetes to defeat him.

The damage was done and he would have to deal with the condition for the rest of his days. But dwelling on it would be utterly pointless.

“You can’t get rid of diabetes,” said the 67-year-old. “It’s with you for life. I just had to accept it.

“I focused on being healthy. I wanted to live an active life and I knew I had to look after myself. You just have to be positive.”

David, from Rodbourne, experienced his first ‘hypo’ episode, which occurs when blood sugar levels reach an alarming low, at the age of 52.

He was taking a walk when he suddenly felt his legs give out. He found his way to a corner shop nearby and bought a few chocolate bars to perk up before putting the incident out of his mind entirely.

A few weeks later however, concerned with boils on his neck which refused to heal, he booked an appointment with his GP. A blood test revealed he had Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes develops when the cells in the body are unable to produce enough insulin, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly. People like David, who are overweight, are more at risk of developing it.

While privately the father-of-two accepted the radical changes to his life, now punctuated by daily checks and a regimen of pills to stabilise his blood sugar levels, the stigma surrounding the condition cowed him into hiding it from colleagues.

"I accepted it pretty quickly I think," said the retired accountant.

"I got into the new routine. You have to be resilient. You have to eat healthy and look after yourself better. I told my family but I didn't tell anybody at work. I didn't want to give them a reason to take my job away. There was a lot of ignorance and I think some people were frightened of it at the time.

"People's perception was a bit more difficult to deal with. I was worried about it."

His fear of judgement vanished almost overnight when he joined a diabetes support group at Broadgreen Centre. Opening up about his daily struggles with fellow sufferers inspired him to share his story with the wider public and raise awareness of the complications associated with the condition.

Last year, David became a qualified risk assessor for Diabetes UK. This sees him take part in roadshows and assess people’s likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes before it is too late.

“It can be scary for some people,” he added. “They’d rather not know. If they don’t know about it, it’s not there. But there are so many complications. It’s dangerous.

“It can be overwhelming. But if you know what the problem is, you’re halfway to solving it.”

Diabetes Awareness Week runs until Saturday 20. To find out more about the condition go to www.diabetes.org.uk

Swindon's diabetes support group meets at Broadgreen Centre once a month. To find out more call 01793 851229.

FACT FILE

• An estimated 11,665 people in Swindon have diabetes.

• This means that approximately 6.5% of the local adult population has diabetes, compared to 6.2% in England.

• 634 people are believed to have undiagnosed diabetes in Swindon.

• In Type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. As no insulin is produced, the glucose levels increase, which can seriously damage the body's organs. People diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes need insulin injections for the rest of their lives. No one can do anything to prevent developing Type 1.

• Type 2 diabetes is where the body doesn't produce enough insulin, or the body's cells don't react to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance. It is often associated with obesity. Family history, age and ethnic background can also affect a person's risk of developing Type 2

• People with diabetes are at much greater risk of developing problems with their feet, due to the damage raised blood sugars can cause to sensation and circulation.

• Diabetes UK has put together a checklist of 15 essential checks and services patients should receive. To find out more go to www.diabetes.org.uk.

WHAT CAUSES DIABETES?

The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is produced by the pancreas.

When food is digested and enters the bloodstream, insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into cells, where it's broken down to produce energy.

The body is unable to break down glucose into energy when a person suffers from diabetes. This is because there is either not enough insulin to move the glucose, or the insulin produced does not work properly.