Northampton man whose diabetes left him with deformed feet is rowing and cycling to raise awareness of his condition

A Northampton man is marking his 40th anniversary of having type one diabetes by completing two hours of rowing and hand cycling to raise money for the Diabetes UK charity.

March 6, 2022 will mark 40 years since 52-year-old James O'Neill was diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of 12 after collapsing on a football pitch.

He weighed just five stone, became incredibly pale and was taken over by a thirst that was 'incredible' and 'constant' and left him wetting the bed.

Reflecting on the day he was diagnosed, James said: "I remember being told by the doctors and we went to a phone box opposite the co-op on Market Square. I called my mum and I was in tears. It was too much to take in at a young age.

"The doctor called me back and told me I had to go to the hospital. It was a scary time. They thought I had it two years before my diagnosis."

James' condition since evolved into a number of complications that saw him having his toe amputated due to a diabetic foot ulcer, suffering from diabetic retinopathy - a complication caused by diabetes that left James with tunnel-vision - and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which is a painful condition that affects the small intestine and can cause diarrhea and malnutrition.

He was additionally diagnosed with a muscle wasting disease known as Charcot Marie tooth, which caused his feet to change shape and distorted his walking.

James' ankle was surgically fused on his right foot but, six months after the operation, he was left fighting off sepsis after the pins in his ankle had become infected.

The pins were removed and James took antibiotics for a year, which helped but his feet were left permanently deformed.

James had to give up his dream job at Northampton Town Football Club, stop driving his car and use a mobility scooter to travel to and from places. He enjoys training at the gym, takes online courses at home to keep his brain ticking over and regularly gives talks about his ordeal.

On this drastic lifestyle change and living as a disabled man, James said: "It is hard because I really miss working. My wife goes to work and if I didn't have the gym, my life would be so much shorter - I would just be staring at four walls."

Forty years on from his diagnosis, James now wants to raise awareness of the complications caused by diabetes and fund further research into the condition.

He is hosting a charity event at the Lings Forum Trilogy Leisure Centre in Northampton on March 6, where he will be rowing and hand cycling for two hours from 1pm to 3pm.

James continued: "I wanted to raise awareness of complications in diabetes. Having it such a long time, people think you just can't eat sweets and that's it. My complications are horrific.

"It has given me something to concentrate on. I have bad days and I just have to get through it best I can."

Technology has come a long way since James' diagnosis. At the time, there were no machines to test blood - instead, James had to carry out urine tests to monitor his glucose levels and, if they were too high, he had to run around the block to get them back down again.

Now, James has a freestyle libre which is a patch on his arm that can tell him his glucose levels with a simple swipe of his phone.

It also sends the results straight to his hospital; the device has been described by James as 'life-changing.'

It is this steep progress in diabetes treatment that pushes James to do all he can to help fundraise for it.

When asked if he felt confident for charity event, James said through laughter: "Oh my god, all the stuff I ate over Christmas. I am quite confident.

"The last time I did it, I went like a bat out of hell. I was really blowing out my backside and I had so many minutes to go and I wasn't even halfway through. I am doing more this time. I only did an hour last time and, this time, I am doing two hours."

He added: "I can't thank the gym enough. They let me park my scooter in their facility. I press the doorbell and they come to get me. I like to go swimming so they are trying to get me in the pool. They are very accommodating."

James has set the goal of raising £2,000 for Diabetes UK and he has, so far, raised £590 on his JustGiving page.Regional Fundraiser for the Diabetes UK charity, Charlotte Wright, said: "We are living through extraordinary and challenging times.

"This makes any support you could give to James' fundraiser even more important than ever and it's only by joining together that we can continue to improve the lives of thousands of people affected by diabetes and fight for a world where diabetes can do no harm.

"We could not do this without supporters like James."

According to Diabetes UK, diabetes affects more than 4.9 million people in the UK and is the fastest growing health problem facing the UK with 700 people diagnosed each day.

To find out more, visit https://www.diabetes.org.uk/