'˜Miracle Dan': Daventry man seemingly cured of type 1 diabetes

Daniel Darkes, 30, has been a diabetic for the past seven years but, since last month, has ceased taking his insulin injections.

After undergoing tests, results showed that his blood sugar levels are below average/average to low, suggesting that his pancreas may have started functioning properly again.

Daniel, who will fly to St Louis in America next month for further tests, said: “Everyone is very shocked and surprised, especially friends at work who have come up to me and called me ‘Miracle Dan’.

“I am 30 and I’ve kept fit with my running and healthy eating.

“I don’t feel much different now as to what I did before.

“In fact I feel better now than I’ve ever been. I’ve had diabetes for six years but I’m sleeping better, I’m more alert, and I have more energy.”

Daniel discovered he had type 1 diabetes in 2010 shortly after leaving the Army.

He realised that something was not right when he experienced the symptoms of tiredness, thirstiness and blurred vision while at his new engineering job.

After collapsing at work Daniel was taken to hospital and diagnosed a week later, becoming one of the 3.5 million people in the UK who have diabetes.

But how is it possible that Daniel could have reversed the effects of the illness, particualrly as this is usually only witnessed with type 2 diabetes patients?

He thinks his healthy lifestyle might be the contributing factor. Daniel has covered many miles as a long-distance runner, raising money for Diabetes UK and the Royal British Legion in the process.

He said: “The doctors aren’t sure really, it could be because I do a lot of running.

“They reckon a lot of vitamin C and D can also cause cells to be reproduced in the organs. I’ll get a better picture once I’m over in America.”

Daniel will spend four days in St Louis where tests will be conducted on him and his pancreas, which will determine how much insulin is being produced, and whether or not he can stay off the injections.

There is no known cure for the illness so if Daniel no longer needs to take insulin injections it would be an extremely rare case as people are normally insulin dependent their whole lives.