Coping with a life of injections

By Gavin Griffiths

Gavin Griffiths has caught the running bug

Gavin has had diabetes since the age of eight, and has to inject himself several times a day just to survive. This is his story.

At the age of eight, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. When you're younger I feel it is harder to understand things, and to be honest I didn't even know what diabetes was until they diagnosed me with it.

It wasn't easy coming to terms with the fact you have to inject yourself so many times a day and you cannot eat what you would like. I particularly struggled with the eating part as I always loved scoffing Bourbon biscuits and eating Coco Pops and Weetos as a kid. But the change in my diet probably allowed me to become fitter as a person eating more healthily, although as I do so much sport now days I do get away with the odd chocolate now and then.

Within a matter of hours I was doing my own injections, and I haven't looked back on doing it since, but I would imagine that part would be tough for many other diabetics to deal with.

Gavin uses his running to raise money for diabetes research

The first thing I saw when I was put into the ward in hospital as that eight year old has always stuck in the back of my mind. I looked into a room and saw a boy as young as me suffering with cancer and I couldn't help but think that someone having something like that so young is so unfair, but what can we do about it?

I always wanted to do something about being diabetic, fight back in my own way, and help others, but I never really knew how.

I've seen many other diabetics that don't cope as well as I do, young and older, and I felt sorry for them. Over recent years I discovered I'm slightly unique. In my old football team my coach nick-named me the 'Iron Man', as I would never get hurt.

I got kicked in the face once and lost my front tooth, but instantly got back up. I would go running with a few mates every other week or so and they would always try their hardest to keep up with me but in the end I'd always run that extra bit further.

One of Gavin's challenges was to run around the Isle of Wight

I went through a tough time and did some things wrong and looked at myself and thought what am I going to do with myself and where am I going?

Maybe those questions have not been totally answered, but I guess by doing the run around the Isle of Wight was my way of proving that I can make something of myself. I used to have this drive in me that would tell me nothing was impossible when I was younger and I've got a lot of that back.

I believe that there isn't anything that can stop you from doing what you want and from reaching your goals, and my message to all diabetics, and especially young diabetics who will find it that bit harder growing up with it, that having diabetes cannot beat you.

Young diabetics need help in understanding what they have. I never really had it when I was younger I just got on with it, but I know of one or two that couldn't accept it and abused themselves by not taking their injections. They are only harming themselves.

I feel young diabetics need more activities that perhaps their clinics should provide and one thing I think people with diabetes lack is a role model to look up to. The only one that comes to my mind is Steve Redgrave, so I'm looking to hopefully inspire a few of them at least.