Go Robyn!

We're stronger together

Many of you will know, or will have heard me talk about, “my best friend Jo V from school”.

We’ve been friends since 1989, when we were 11, so as you can imagine, we’ve shared a lot of life between us over the years.

But this latest thing is a big one.

In February, Jo’s amazing daughter Robyn was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Until then, I honestly hadn’t realised just how much it affects people’s lives. It is such a huge, life-changing thing, not just for the person diagnosed, but for the whole family around them too.

One of the hardest things has been not really being able to help. I’ve watched Jo and Robyn navigate this whole new world of blood sugars, weighing food, injections, alarms and constant decision-making, while still trying to keep life feeling as normal as possible.

And Robyn is 12. I’m not sure I would have been able to do what she is doing at 12. What an absolute superstar!

There’s so much bravery in the everyday bits that most of us don’t see. The learning, the adjusting, the carrying on. And for Jo, the constant background anxiety of trying to stay calm and reassuring, even when her phone is vibrating at 2am because Robyn’s blood sugar has dropped too low and she needs sugar.

I’ve seen first hand how invaluable charities and organisations can be when families are dealing with something like this. The support, reassurance and encouragement they give helps children like Robyn and families find their way through a completely new life, while still holding on to as much normality as possible.

A few weeks ago, Jo mentioned the walk they were doing and asked if we’d like to join them. So on Saturday, Maple and I will be walking 10K with Jo and Robyn, alongside a couple of hundred other people whose lives have been affected by diabetes.

And honestly, walking 10K feels quite literally like a walk in the park in comparison.

If you can, please sponsor us. And if sponsoring isn’t possible, sharing my page would also mean so much and help support this amazing charity.

The blurb:

Breakthrough T1D funds world-class research, supports the T1D community and campaigns for broader NHS provision of treatments and technologies. Their collaborations with the best researchers in the world have led to new developments in diabetes technology and treatment.

This is where you come in. With your support and your generous donations, we can fund Breakthrough T1D’s important work.

Whatever you can donate, it is really appreciated - Thank you!