My Day at Breakthrough T1D Discovery Day

I recently had the privilege of being invited to speak at Breakthrough T1D UK's Discovery Day, which was their biggest ever in-person Discovery Day event.

It was a fantastic day bringing together members of the Type 1 diabetes community, with a particular focus on the Young Person's Pathway for 12–25-year-olds. The event was an opportunity for younger people living with T1D to connect with others, hear different experiences and hopefully take away some encouragement and reassurance for their own journeys.

I was really excited to be involved as a guest speaker, and I had the opportunity to give two talks during the day.

Sharing my story with young people

My first talk was for those attending the Young Person's Pathway. I spoke about my own experiences of living with Type 1 diabetes and some of the things I have been able to achieve despite having the condition.

One of the main messages I wanted to get across was that Type 1 diabetes doesn't have to limit what you can achieve in life.

Living with diabetes can obviously come with challenges. There are difficult days, frustrating moments and times when diabetes can feel like it's getting in the way. But it doesn't have to determine what you can do, where you can go or what you can achieve.

I wanted to share my experiences honestly, while hopefully showing the young people in the room that having Type 1 doesn't mean having to put your ambitions on hold.

It was a real privilege to be able to speak to so many young people who are at different stages of their own diabetes journeys. I hope that sharing my story gave some of them a little bit of confidence that they can continue to pursue whatever they want to do.

Joining the panel

In the afternoon, I took part in another session, this time aimed at parents and adults within the T1D community.

I joined a panel alongside other people living with Type 1 diabetes, where we answered questions and shared our own experiences of living with the condition.

This was a very different type of session to my morning talk. Rather than simply sharing my own story, it was great to have an open conversation and hear different perspectives from other people living with T1D.

There were questions about the realities of managing diabetes, the challenges it can bring and the experiences we've each had along the way. Having those honest conversations is so important because, although everyone's experience of Type 1 diabetes is different, there is a huge amount we can learn from one another.

The importance of community

One of the things I took away from the day was just how important the T1D community is.

Being surrounded by so many people who understand the highs, lows and everyday realities of living with Type 1 creates a real sense of connection. Whether you're a young person figuring out life with T1D, a parent supporting your child, or an adult who has lived with diabetes for many years, there is something incredibly valuable about being able to share experiences with people who get it.

I'm incredibly grateful to Breakthrough T1D UK for inviting me to be part of Discovery Day and for giving me the opportunity to share my story with both the next generation of people living with T1D and the wider diabetes community.

It was a brilliant day, and one that I'm very proud to have been a small part of.

Discovery Day in pictures