My story
Welcome to my Diabetes UK One Million Step Challenge page!
For most of my life, I've been known for two things that don't always seem to belong together: a quick temper and a big heart I guess.
I can be stubborn, fiercely protective of the people I love, and ready to stand up for my friends, family, and colleagues whenever they need me. I care deeply, even if I don't always show it in the gentlest way.
Recently, that same sense of responsibility nearly cost me my life.
For more than two months, I ignored the warning signs that something was seriously wrong. The constant dry mouth. The unquenchable thirst. The strange fruity taste in my mouth. The exhaustion and lack of sleep that became my daily reality. Deep down, I knew something wasn't right, but I convinced myself I could push through it.
I carried on being a husband, a dad, a friend, a colleague. I went to work. I looked after everyone else. I put my responsibilities first and my health last. I told myself it would pass. I hid how bad things had become because that's what I thought I was supposed to do.
Eventually, I made an urgent appointment with my doctor. Within minutes of being seen, I was told to go straight to A&E.
The reality hit hard. My blood sugar levels were dangerously high. My ketone levels were through the roof. I was on the edge of diabetic ketoacidosis and dangerously close to slipping into a coma. A coma that I may never have woken up from.
Hearing those words forced me to confront a truth I had been avoiding for months: strength is not ignoring the warning signs. Strength is not suffering in silence. Strength is not pretending everything is fine while your body is crying out for help.
I wasn't being strong by hiding it. I was being reckless.
Looking back now, I realise that the people I was trying to protect by keeping it to myself would have wanted to help. They would have wanted me to speak up. They would have wanted me to take care of myself with the same compassion and urgency that I show them.
This experience has changed the way I think about health, responsibility, and what it means to be a man. Being a husband, a father, a friend, and a colleague doesn't mean carrying every burden alone. It means being around for the people who matter, and sometimes that starts with asking for help.
If there is one lesson I take from this experience, it is simple: listen to your body. Don't ignore the warning signs. Don't convince yourself that you can always push through. No job, no responsibility, and no sense of pride is worth risking your life for.
I nearly learned that lesson too late, but am now being taken take off by some amazing people in the NHS service who support and look after people like me with Diabetes.
Because of this I have decided to sign up to or rather step up for Diabetes UK this summer
I am commited to completing 1 million steps over 3 months, for me now this will not be the easiest thing to do but as some of you know, if I am going to complete something I usually go all out to manage it!
And you can too, just by making a donation. Did you know someone is diagnosed with diabetes every two minutes? Diabetes UK are on a mission to create a world where diabetes can do no harm by funding vital research into life-changing treatments and providing support to help people to live better with diabetes. But they need our help. No matter how much you can give, it will make a difference. So please donate today, Thank you for taking to time to read this to the end! :)
For most of my life, I've been known for two things that don't always seem to belong together: a quick temper and a big heart I guess.
I can be stubborn, fiercely protective of the people I love, and ready to stand up for my friends, family, and colleagues whenever they need me. I care deeply, even if I don't always show it in the gentlest way.
Recently, that same sense of responsibility nearly cost me my life.
For more than two months, I ignored the warning signs that something was seriously wrong. The constant dry mouth. The unquenchable thirst. The strange fruity taste in my mouth. The exhaustion and lack of sleep that became my daily reality. Deep down, I knew something wasn't right, but I convinced myself I could push through it.
I carried on being a husband, a dad, a friend, a colleague. I went to work. I looked after everyone else. I put my responsibilities first and my health last. I told myself it would pass. I hid how bad things had become because that's what I thought I was supposed to do.
Eventually, I made an urgent appointment with my doctor. Within minutes of being seen, I was told to go straight to A&E.
The reality hit hard. My blood sugar levels were dangerously high. My ketone levels were through the roof. I was on the edge of diabetic ketoacidosis and dangerously close to slipping into a coma. A coma that I may never have woken up from.
Hearing those words forced me to confront a truth I had been avoiding for months: strength is not ignoring the warning signs. Strength is not suffering in silence. Strength is not pretending everything is fine while your body is crying out for help.
I wasn't being strong by hiding it. I was being reckless.
Looking back now, I realise that the people I was trying to protect by keeping it to myself would have wanted to help. They would have wanted me to speak up. They would have wanted me to take care of myself with the same compassion and urgency that I show them.
This experience has changed the way I think about health, responsibility, and what it means to be a man. Being a husband, a father, a friend, and a colleague doesn't mean carrying every burden alone. It means being around for the people who matter, and sometimes that starts with asking for help.
If there is one lesson I take from this experience, it is simple: listen to your body. Don't ignore the warning signs. Don't convince yourself that you can always push through. No job, no responsibility, and no sense of pride is worth risking your life for.
I nearly learned that lesson too late, but am now being taken take off by some amazing people in the NHS service who support and look after people like me with Diabetes.
Because of this I have decided to sign up to or rather step up for Diabetes UK this summer
I am commited to completing 1 million steps over 3 months, for me now this will not be the easiest thing to do but as some of you know, if I am going to complete something I usually go all out to manage it!
And you can too, just by making a donation. Did you know someone is diagnosed with diabetes every two minutes? Diabetes UK are on a mission to create a world where diabetes can do no harm by funding vital research into life-changing treatments and providing support to help people to live better with diabetes. But they need our help. No matter how much you can give, it will make a difference. So please donate today, Thank you for taking to time to read this to the end! :)
