Layton tells others diagnosed with diabetes: "Don't worry!"

These are the children with Type I diabetes – children who face a long life of counting carbohydrates, checking blood glucose levels and injecting themselves up to four times a day.

One of these children is Layton Todd, 10, who recently marked the first anniversary of his diagnosis.

Layton said he wanted to talk about the diagnosis and what it has meant since “because children will be scared and depressed when they get told they have diabetes and I want to tell them not to worry.”

Layton’s parents, Kayleigh Murray and Martyn Todd, became concerned when their son became more lethargic, was losing weight and was urinating far more frequently than normal.

By this time his parents knew their only child was ill - but nothing prepared them for the diagnosis.

Neither of them knew anything about diabetes and both had fears and concerns that they had to keep from their son.

Not that they did a good job. “They were more worried than I was,” Layton said.

He injected himself for the first time on day two of his stay in hospital and found it better than other people injecting him.

And although he was very proud of that achievement, he does admit that it was scary at first.

Layton Todd

As is routine now, Layton saw a counsellor who tried to help him through the first stages of what is a life-long, life-changing condition.

But he felt he needed to process the sudden changes in his life in his own time and his own way.

His parents would have been happy to wrap him in cotton wool and keep him home but they realised that he had to continue living a normal life so he is once again out playing with his friends, attending events and playing football.

Football has taken on a new dimension though: “I feel different to the other players. I feel quite special!”

As a diabetic in the 21st Century, Layton does not have to face the numerous finger pricks which was how blood glucose was previously measured.

Now he has a monitor in his arm which allows him to painlessly read his blood sugar levels at any time and is completely needle free.

But one of the disadvantages is being late for school dinners.

“I must always go to the office first to get my blood sugar tested and I do have to have a finger prick there. It means I am always late for dinner though!”