Joe's Diabetes Challenge story
Joe, 20, from Abbeydale in Gloucester, challenged himself to go without sugary foods or drinks for the whole month of October 2009 to raise money for Diabetes UK.
Younger sister with Type 1 diabetes
Joe, a video editor, became a member of Diabetes UK after his 13-year-old sister, Molly, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last year. He challenged himself to give up sugar for a month to re-enact the early stage of his sister’s diagnosis and to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes.
Video diaries
Joe even kept a weekly diary of his experience on YouTube, where you can see archives of his videos.
The idea behind the challenge
Joe said: “When Molly was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes she had very high blood glucose levels and so for a short time she suddenly couldn’t eat sugary foods, including sweets and chocolate.
"Once she started taking insulin injections regularly, she was able to eat the same healthy balanced diet as the rest of us, but I wanted to set myself this challenge to understand what she had to cope with at the start and to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes."
Cutting out sugar briefly after diagnosis
Libby Dowling, Care Advisor at Diabetes UK, explained why people may have to cut out sugar for a short time after they have been diagnosed with diabetes: “Someone with Type 1 diabetes is likely to have very high blood glucose levels when they are diagnosed because their pancreas is not producing any insulin, a hormone which converts glucose into energy to help us live our lives.
Healthy balanced diet can include some sweet treats
"The person will be given insulin injections to lower their blood glucose levels and may be advised to cut out sugary foods for a short period. However, once the insulin has kicked in, they can eat the same healthy balanced diet – including some sweet treats – as a person without diabetes.”
Already on to challenge two
Joe raised over £150 for Diabetes UK by completing this challenge and enjoyed the experience so much he even undertook a new challenge to learn and perform a five-song Elvis set – singing and playing guitar.
To see Joe’s challenges, visit:
www.diabeteschallenge.org.uk/challenge/joebanyard-nosugarforamonth
www.diabeteschallenge.org.uk/challenge/joebanyard-theelvischallenge.