It was great to see Coronation Street actually doing something useful over the past few weeks.
I don’t mind admitting that I enjoy watching the drama in both Albert Square and the cobblestone streets, but come on, it’s not real and usually it’s not that educational.
However, my mind changed recently when a storyline really hit me.
A young actress on the soap who plays the role of Summer suddenly fell seriously ill and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
As someone diagnosed with the same disease in my third year of university, this brought back a rather traumatic time in my life.
Like Summer, I had suffered from the four Ts for months – toilet, thin, tired, and thirsty.
I had really started exercising by that time, so the sudden, dramatic weight loss hadn’t been too much of a concern for me.
After a few months, I went to the doctor who sent me straight to the emergency room at the Royal Victoria Hospital, and what followed is a whirlwind of blurry images of doctors zooming around me.
My blood sugar was found to be extremely and dangerously high, and I was told that my pancreas had simply stopped working through no fault of its own.
Basically, it stopped producing insulin, which is used to control blood sugar.
Since my body was unable to produce insulin, I was told that I would have to have four injections of insulin a day for the rest of my life.
I have two very strong memories of that time.
First the two very patient sisters who sat with me while I took up the courage to take my first shot and I cried nonstop for days in bed because I just couldn’t understand that this was my new normal.
Like Summer, I remember thinking, ‘Why me?’
That said, more than two decades later, I’m still injecting and yes the nurses were right, it ended up becoming like brushing your teeth.
Yes, I had a few bumps in the road but I keep trying and that’s the message I want to send out.
While type 1 diabetes is a serious condition – too much or too little insulin in my injection can be life-threatening – it does not mean that you cannot lead a normal life.
If you follow medical advice, keep taking your injections, and try to live healthily, anything is possible.
Glad Coronation Street moved to raise awareness of this condition and highlight the four Ts – please take care of them and take action as soon as possible. It could save a life.
And to my Type 1 colleagues out there – keep it up.
#poweredbyinsulin
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I know it has only been back on our screens for a few days, but Love Island has already taken over my life.
Islander Hugo Hammond, a 24-year-old physical education teacher from Hampshire, quickly won my heart for his kind and sincere manner – and I’m upset that some of the female participants have already called him “too nice”.
Come on ladies, you’re single because you obviously picked the wrong guys – give Hugo a chance, he’s a real gentleman.
As for the rest of you, Faye – you are a troublemaker and Brad, you are a gamer.
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competition
Summer is definitely here. So how about winning a garden game to keep the kids busy in the sun?
Pass The Pigs is currently Amazon’s number one travel game and has sold millions of copies worldwide.
The object of the game is to toss the inflatable pigs in the air and watch them land.
Are you going to be a snoop, a crooked jowler, or end up making bacon?
Will you be the first to win 100 points or do you get greedy and end up losing everything?
Pass The Pigs is the perfect game for the outdoors, so play it in the garden, at a picnic, or on the beach.
The game, which costs £ 14.99, includes two inflatable pigs, a rulebook, scorecards, two pencils, a carrying case, a drain stick, and a plastic vinyl repair seal
I have three Pass The Pigs games to give away
For a chance to win a game, simply email your name, address and phone number – along with the answer to the question below – to competitions@irishnews.com
The closing date for entries is Tuesday, July 6, 2021, 12 noon
(Q) How many inflatable pigs are in Pass The Pigs?
Normal Irish messaging rules apply
COMPETITION WINNER
The False Truth contest winners are Sharon Daly from Downpatrick, Bernadette Carty from Dublin, Raymond Gormley from Belfast, S Leckey from Dunmurry and Patsy Fitzpatrick from Carryduff,
