A KEEN horse rider is reassuring newly-diagnosed diabetics after developing the condition days before her 13th birthday.
As part of World Diabetes Day today, Georgie Frow, from Grainthorpe, is sharing her experiences of the condition with the hope of raising awareness among others.
Anne Foster and Jeanette Burson-Thomas, paediatric diabetes specialist nurses for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, are also calling on people to be aware of the signs of the condition in children.
Georgie, now 14, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in December 2010 – a week before entering her teenage years.
She recalls knowing nothing about the condition at first, but with help from her family, friends and specialist nurses, she now says: "I have diabetes but diabetes has not got me."
She added: "Looking back before I was diagnosed, I should have realised something was wrong.
"I was constantly tired and couldn't concentrate at school, but I thought that was how everyone felt.
"I was also very slim to the point where my music teacher at school said to my head of year at the time that I might be suffering from anorexia.
"It was a shock when I was first told the news, I was scared of going back and forth to hospital.
"I went into hospital weighing around four stone and I was so pale.
"My specialist diabetic nurse, Mary, helped me to understand how to inject myself, test my blood sugar and to learn what foods had what carbohydrates.
"Within the first two days of taking insulin I was feeling better and within the first couple of months I had put on one-and-a-half-stone."
Georgie wants to reassure others that everything will be fine.
She said: "You do worry at the start, but I have been able to carry on everything – only now I am healthy. And friends are great, do not be concerned that they will not understand – if they are true friends, they will."
The key warning signs to look out for in children who may have diabetes are:
Urinating a lot.
Losing weight.
Lacking energy.
Drinking a lot.
Mrs Foster said: "This year, the World Diabetes Day campaign has a special focus on children and young people.
"The aim is to increase awareness of the symptoms and warning signs for diabetes. Also, that in many cases, Type 2 diabetes can be prevented through healthy eating and physical activity.
"For those children who develop Type 1 diabetes, early diagnosis is essential in preventing diabetes ketoacidosism, which is a life-threatening condition.
"If your child is showing any of the signs, then you should seek advice from your GP.
"Diabetes can affect children at any age, but is something that with the right support can be managed well."
To find out more, visit www.diabetes.org.uk
