For the third year we were asked by Denise Stoner from Ribston Hall School for Girls in Gloucester to see if anyone from the Group would be willing to talk again about their diabetes experiences to the first year 6th Form students as part of their Health and Wellbeing A level.

Part of the course work requires the students to understand several serious long term conditions and how they affects not only  the lives of those with the condition but also their and their family & friends. Diabetes is one of the conditions they have to look at and as well as finding out about the medical facts,  they have to understand how it affects the individual and those close to them every day.

On the 12 Oct, Ros Gibbs (Type 1) , her husband Nigel and myself (Type 2) attended and gave personal accounts of how diabetes affects us and those around us. Ros & I discussed all the effects of having diabetes and how we live with it, Nigel talked about how it affected the family and how they had to learn to help & support Ros, especially when their children were younger.   We emphasised that whilst it is a serious, potentially life threatening condition, with early diagnosis, understanding it effects and good control, you can lead a normal and active life.

We all enjoyed talking to the girls, who proved to be most  attentive and raised some interesting questions, which we tried our best to answer.  Ros  highlighted that having diabetes does not limit what you can achieve for example Teresa May, the Prime Minster, has type 1 diabetes.

I would like to thank Denise for again giving us the chance to meet and talk to the girls and also Ros and Nigel for sparing her time to speak to the students and for giving such good talk, well done.