Sylvia Mare was diagnosed with type one diabetes at nine years old but has not let the condition rule her life.
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When she first started experiencing symptoms, her doctor initially told her she had a virus even though she was extremely weak, had a dry mouth and had lost 10kgs in less than a week.
When she was finally sent to the local hospital her blood glucose level came back at 50.
The nurses were shocked she hadn't gone into a coma.
"I grew up outside of Tamworth and I can still vividly remember the day my mum had to drive me an hour to the hospital,"Sylvia said.
"I didn't know it at the time but she kept telling me to stay awake as I was falling into a coma because my sugar levels were 50 when they should have been between 4-7."
Sylvia said she was in hospital for a week after she was diagnosed to learn about diabetes and how to manage her condition.
"I think I was lucky to be diagnosed so young because I grew up having to deal with managing it," she said.
"For me it was and is the only life I have ever known so testing myself up to eight times a day is just part of what I do. When I was first diagnosed they asked if I wanted to prick myself or have my mum do it but quickly I had to learn to do it.
"I started learning on an orange and then moved onto myself."
She said there were a number of misconceptions around type one diabetes and hoped during National Diabetes Week more people could learn about her condition.
"Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease which is caused because the body is not making insulin. It can't be prevented and it can occur at any age but is most frequently diagnosed in children and young adults.
"Once the condition has developed, it requires urgent medical treatment and daily insulin. That said it is not a life ending condition and if managed properly you can lead a normal life."
In October it will be 22 years since Sylvia was diagnosed with diabetes but said she doesn't let that stop her live life to the fullest.
"I am just like everyone else I just have to be very aware of my sugar levels. I am also passionate about fitness and work out up to six times a week.
"I find that exercising whether running, doing CrossFit or yoga helps me in managing my diabetes and keeps my mental health in check.
"I hope that during National Diabetes Week people take the time to consider how life changing diabetes can be but also recognise that it is not the end of the world."
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