COPELAND MP, Jamie Reed has spoken out about his battle with diabetes as he prepares to take on a major sporting feat.


WE'LL BEAT THIS: Copeland MP Jamie Reed with representatives from Junior Diabetes Research Foundation. Mr Reed is hoping to raise vital funds for the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation after being diagnosed with type one diabetes almost six years ago.

Just two weeks before the 2010 general election, Mr Reed was suddenly rushed into intensive care in an advanced state of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Mr Reed, who was unaware of his condition at the time, said: "I was tired running up to the 2010 general election - it's always a busy time - and thought that my rapid weight loss and tiredness was down to working hard.

"A fortnight out from the election, I couldn't walk and my head felt as if it was exploding.

"I had a thirst like nothing I've ever experienced and was vomiting water constantly.

"My body was breaking down and I was heading for a coma in an advanced state of diabetic ketoacidosis.

"My hair was falling out, it was a frightening time for everyone around me, but I was pretty much out of it.

"I was misdiagnosed by a GP who no longer practices and that night taken into the West Cumberland Hospital under a blue light.

"They saved my life."

Following his election success, Mr Reed was determined not to let this life-changing diagnosis stand in his way and committed himself to using his new-found position to make a difference.

He said: "When I received a diagnosis, everything fitted into place and I was determined to get on with the job I'd been elected to do. 

"I was still recovering when the Derrick Bird shootings took place and that gave me a lot of perspective."

He continued: "It isn't a disease, it's a condition and if it's managed properly it doesn't stop you from doing or achieving anything.

"It does change your life, it can affect your sense of yourself, but you have to control it, not let it control you."

In a cruel twist of fate, Mr Reed's niece was also diagnosed in January last year and his son then developed the condition in November. 

Mr Reed said: "I felt absolute shock, and total defiance at the same time as acceptance.

"Instead of resenting my condition, I now see it as the best thing that could have happened for me and my wife so that we can help my son and niece get on with life in the same way as it ever would have been.

"There's nothing I now can't help my son with, he'll never have to think that nobody understands what it's like to have the condition and I wish every child with the condition could benefit from that.

"It's early days, but he's my hero.

"On the football pitch, I think he tackles harder than he ever did."

On the brink of his second London Marathon, Mr Reed struggles to fit the training into his busy schedule but is determined to make a difference.

He said: "We can cure this condition and we can and must improve the treatments for it before that point.

"Raising money for something that will help so many people keeps me going.

"I think of constituents living with the condition, not just those close to me, and I think 'we'll beat this'.

"I'm sure we can, but until that point, I'm determined to demonstrate, on behalf of everyone living with the condition, that there's nothing we can't do."

What is diabetes?

  • Diabetes is a life-long condition in which a lack of insulin results in dangerously high sugar levels. 
  • Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood. A lack of insulin means the amount of glucose cannot be regulated, resulting in high sugar levels. 
  • There are more than three and a half million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK.
  • It is believed there are a further half a million who have diabetes but do not know it. 
  • Consistently high blood sugar levels can result in a state of diabetic ketoacidosis, meaning the body cannot use glucose for energy so it starts to use other body tissue as an alternative source of energy.
  • There are two types of diabetic conditions: type one and type two. 
  • Type one diabetes is when the pancreas doesn't produce any insulin. 
  • Type two diabetes is when not enough insulin is produced or when the body cells don't react to the insulin. 
  • Type one diabetes is rare and only affects around 10 per cent of adults. 
  • It is often called juvenile diabetes as it usually develops before the age of 40. 
  • A type one diabetic will need insulin injections for the rest of their lives.

Symptoms of diabetes

  • A DIABETIC is likely to experience symptoms such as being tired all the time, being extremely thirsty, weight loss and going to the toilet more often. It can also cause sweet, fruity smelling breath. Some diabetics can also experience a loss of vision or even blindness.
  • Symptoms of a diabetic ketoacidosis are more severe and include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and changes to breathing. 
    How can you prevent diabetes?

Type two diabetes is often associated with obesity and is usually developed among older people. 

It is thought that 90 per cent of diabetics have type two diabetes. 

Those at risk can prevent the condition by:

  • Eating a healthy, balanced diet
  • Lose weight
  • Take regular exercise
  • Stop smoking 
  • Drink in moderation

Junior Diabetes Research Foundation

The JDRF is a charity foundation for people suffering from type one diabetes. 

The money raised goes to fund research into curing, treating and preventing the condition.

It works with people in government, academia and the industry to deliver its findings to sufferers.