Hannah and Jacob Kunert who both have Type 1 diabetes are taking on the Tough Mudder challenge in May.
"There’s a lot of diabetes in my family. My brother and I both have Type 1 diabetes. Jacob was diagnosed just over 10 years ago when he was 7, and I was diagnosed 4 years ago when I was 15. Jacob’s diagnosis was hard. It was caught late and he spent a significant amount of time in hospital (initially in the ICU).
"By comparison, I was diagnosed very early, thanks to the enormous amount of Type 1 experience that my mum has built up over the years. Living with the condition can be difficult but it’s amazing to have a sibling who also has it; we understand what the other is going through, there’s always someone there to ask if it’s all going wrong, and it’s far easier to have a sense of humour about it (which we both think is key to coping with it well).
"Additionally, my aunt has Type 1 and my grandfather has Type 2 diabetes. Having diabetes being such a large part of our lives made supporting Diabetes UK a very easy choice, and we’re eager to support the amazing research done.
Taking on Tough Mudder together
"Type 1 diabetes has never stopped us from doing anything that we’ve really set our minds to.
We’ve climbed mountains, rock-climbed, are sailing instructors, and spent months overseas without easy access to supplies or significant medical help. As a result, we chose this event because we knew that it would be highly challenging and that it would require determination to complete it.
"We’ve also chosen Tough Mudder because it requires us to work together which reflects how we have often supported each other since being diagnosed.
You can do anything you set your mind to
"We hope to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes which remains a relatively misunderstood condition and we also hope to raise a large amount of money for Diabetes UK. We’re hoping to prove that Type 1 diabetes doesn’t have to take over your life and show that it shouldn’t prevent you from achieving anything that you set out to do."
