TOWARDS A CURE

Andy Austin was just ten years old when his mum became concerned about his health. “I suddenly started needing to go for a wee very frequently and urgently, which seemed very strange, so my mum decided to take me to the hospital to get checked out.”

Andy was given a urine test, which diagnosed type 1 diabetes. “I ended up staying in the hospital for just over a week while they sorted out my insulin dosage. It was mostly quite fun for me, as I didn’t have to go to school, and I teamed up with another lad on the ward to get up to mischief, but I really didn’t like doing the injections, as they really hurt. I pretended for as long as I could get away with it that I didn’t know how to do them so a nurse would do them for me.”

After Andy came home from hospital, he began adjusting to life with diabetes. “I was given a daily allowance of 360g of carbohydrate throughout the day, so I had to weigh everything I ate, which was difficult at first. I remember not being allowed one of the little bottles of milk they used to give out to all the children in school, which was one of the first times I felt I was different from everybody else.

“Being a bit different didn’t bother me too much – in fact, I quite embraced it and I loved being one of the only children who was allowed to get seconds of school dinners – however I do have a bad memory from just after I was diagnosed of the headteacher making me stand up in the main assembly in front of everyone else. He said, ‘This boy has been eating too many sweets so he is now diabetic.’ This obviously wasn’t true, but it was very embarrassing for me and something that has stuck in my mind.”

Andy initially had to inject himself with insulin twice a day, which then progressed to four injections a day. “The insulin was different back then – it was pork or beef based rather than a synthetic one like now – and it wasted away the fatty tissue in my arms, so I had indentations from the injections. They say you should alternate your injection sites, but I used to favour certain parts of my body, usually my arms or legs, and I never injected in my stomach, as I just didn’t like it – it was too painful.”

Twelve years ago, Andy was offered an insulin pump, which is a small electronic device that delivers the insulin a person needs throughout the day so they don’t have to do insulin injections. “When I was offered it, I just cried, because it meant I didn’t have to have four injections a day anymore. It also allowed me to monitor things more easily. However, I still stuck quite rigidly to mealtimes – although I wasn’t having injections with meals anymore – as I still felt I needed that routine.”

As part of his care, Andy has regular appointments with a healthcare team, including eye screening appointments and regular checkups with a podiatry team. “I’ve had some issues with my eyes and have had laser treatment and cataracts two years ago, but that side of things is all good at the moment. However, a year ago I noticed a swelling in the top of my right foot, which then started to spread so the whole foot was swollen, and it was awkward to walk properly. I saw the podiatrist who referred me for X-rays,which eventually led to a diagnosis of Charcot foot, which is a rare but serious condition most often affecting people with diabetes. It can affect the foot in people with neuropathy (nerve= damage with numbness), causing the bones of the foot to become very fragile, possibly leading to deformity of the foot.

“I was told the only real cure is amputation, but as I’m youngish, fit and otherwise healthy this would only be done far down the line if things didn’t resolve in an appropriate timeframe. Instead, I had my foot put in a plaster cast as it needs to be immobilised until the inflammation goes down – which can take a really long time – then once that is eventually removed I will see the orthotic team to get a special insole to wear in my shoe to support the foot.

“I have had the plaster cast on for a year now, which is really affecting my life in every way. I am normally very active as a keen cyclist, Explorer Scout Leader and qualified Mountain Leader, but have been sat at home with my leg up, unable to do anything. It’s been a real change for me and has been difficult to come to terms with. At one point I did say ‘yes please’ to the doctor’s mention of amputation, as I was so frustrated at the thought of a year wasted sitting around. However, they explained there were risks with having half a leg and later on I might have more issues with that. It would also take about a year anyway to have the operation, allow the wound to heal, then get a prosthetic leg.”

Andy is currently writing an article for Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation’s newsletter about Charcot foot. He is also looking forward to completing the Lyke Wake Walk – which is a 40-mile challenge across the North York Moors at its widest and highest points, to be completed in 12-24 hours – once his foot has recovered and he has regained strength in his leg, to raise funds for the charity. “I came across Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation several years ago through a friend of mine whose son and daughter are both diabetic, and I have been very involved in promoting and fundraising for the charity ever since.

“The work it does is brilliant and I have had lots of support myself, having attended many of the charity’s Diabetes Wellness Events over the past 20 years, where my wife and I have met people with similar issues who we can chat to and share stuff with as well as going to various talks on different aspects of diabetes and its care. I have also really benefitted from information the charity provides, and I have enjoyed giving back and helping others by writing about my lived experience as a person living with type 1 diabetes for its newsletter.

“For me, one of the most important things the charity does is investing in quality research to help change the lives of people living with diabetes, which is why I decided to get involved in helping to raise money. Research is important, as there is so much still to discover about diabetes and the associated health conditions – for instance, there is very little known about Charcot foot, as I found out when I was diagnosed, which makes the diagnosis and treatment even more difficult. Research is definitely the way forward as, once they can find answers and cures, it will change so many lives. With DRWF you can see where the money is going and the research being done by the scientists it funds, and it gives so much hope to many.”

THE CANDIS BIG GIVE AMOUNT RAISED: £3,304

• Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation raises awareness of all types of diabetes, promotes prevention through education and support, and funds medical research to improve understanding, treatment, management and, ultimately, find a cure.
• Money from the Candis Big Give will contribute towards a three-year fellowship supporting an early career diabetes researcher who will develop and lead their own research project.
• There are many aspects of living with diabetes and people with the condition can have other comorbidities. It affects the whole body and without research people will never get the treatments they need.
• The charity funds newer researchers. The most recent research fellowship funded by the charity – which started in 2022 – was by researcher Victoria Garfield, who is looking into why there is an elevated number of people who have dementia who also have diabetes.
• The charity is in the process of selecting the next researcher who will be given a three-year fellowship in 2026.
• Visit drwf.org.uk or call 023 92637808 to find out more.