One of our Together Type 1 Young Leaders, Michael Cox has successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Mike set out to show that living with type 1 diabetes need to be no barrier to adventure, and cried tears of joy as he achieved just that. 

Michael Cox, 23, joined up with other adventurers in scaling the 5,895 metre, highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world.

He battled altitude sickness and sub-zero temperatures to reach the summit and get photographed in his Together Type 1 hoodie.

He said: “The final ascent was so hard. I had pain in my shoulders and legs and my morale was really low, plus the weather had turned, we were in darkness and the temperature had dropped to about minus 30 degrees with the windchill.

“But the sense of achievement when we got to the top was overwhelming. I’ve never cried so much.”

Michael was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a decade ago and used the climb to raise money for us – originally aiming for £1,000 but doubling that figure in total.

Michael volunteers at our events and has spoken at numerous Together Type 1 get-togethers to inspire other young people. “I wanted to show that having a type 1 diagnosis doesn’t mean you can’t take on any kind of challenge,” he added.

Clare Howarth, our Head of the North region said:

“We are immensely proud to have Michael as one of our Young Leaders, and delighted that he supports us through his fundraising efforts. This was an incredible achievement.”