WHEN he was just 14 months old, Kieran Brown’s parents were told their baby boy wouldn’t last the night.

Now aged 18 and about to take his A-levels, Kieran is preparing to line up at the London Marathon alongside his father Patrick.

The Shrivenham youngster will be one of the youngest runners taking part in the famous race and the only teenager with Type 1 diabetes running the 26 mile route.

Kieran was diagnosed with the condition when he was a baby. He also suffers from coeliac disease, meaning his body cannot process gluten, making it even harder for him to regulate his blood sugar levels.

Doctors discovered that Kieran was diabetic after he was rushed to hospital with what the GP initially believed was a nasty cold.

Mum Jenelle, 49, said: “The hospital doctors didn’t think he’d last the night. We were told to prepare ourselves for the worst.”

He pulled through eventually, but he has to keep a very close eye on his diet because his body is unable to produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. If his blood sugar levels get too high or low, he could die.

It makes Kieran’s marathon training regime even tougher. “I’ve found that from 90 minutes onwards my sugar levels start to drop,” he told the Advertiser.

He takes along energy gels to bring his blood sugar back up and keep him from passing out in training. 

In common with any teenager, he has sometimes struggled to get out of bed for the early morning runs. 

The sporty youngster, who enjoys cricket at his boarding school Cheltenham College, said: “The hardest thing has been finding the motivation to get up and train at school ,waking up at six o’clock in the morning, especially in the winter.” 

Kieran will be running the famous marathon on Sunday with Patrick, a senior army officer, 50.

He said: “Kieran has amazed us all with how well he has coped with such a massive challenge that demands his attention for every second of his life, even when sleeping. 

“It has certainly not been easy and we have spent far too many incredibly frightening hours in hospitals waiting for Kieran to recover from yet another hypo or diabetic coma.

“Kieran is the bravest person I know and that is why I want to join him in this huge challenge.”

Proud mum Jenelle added: “He doesn’t give up and he tries to remain positive.”

Patrick and Kieran hope to raise £4,000 for charity JDRF, which funds research into Type 1 diabetes in younger people. The pair are just £1,500 from their fundraising target.

The father and son will be in illustrious company on the run. Olympic star Mo Farah is making his second attempt at the race and Kenyan Mary Keitany is hoping to break Paula Radcliffe’s 2003 world record

To support Patrick and Keiran’s fundraising bid, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/patrick-brown007.