Diabetic schoolgirl shares story with Royal (From Borehamwood Times)

Diabetic Yavneh College schoolgirl shares story with Duchess of Cornwall

8:20am Saturday 2nd February 2013 in News By Natalie O'Neill

A diabetic teenager met The Duchess of Cornwall and a British Hollywood actor to share her story of balancing her condition with the pressures of school and exams.

Sophie Abergil, who goes to Yavneh College, Hillside Avenue, Borehamwood, told The Duchess and War Horse star Jeremy Irvine how she was diagnosed with type one diabetes at just four-years-old.

At the time, she was lethargic, constantly thirsty, and urinating more than usual – all symptoms of the condition.

Speaking at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust yesterday, the 16-year-old said: “My diagnosis previously meant I needed several insulin injections every day. That was very difficult, especially as I was a small child.

"Thankfully I was then given an insulin pump. This makes it easier to get on with life.”

The Duchess is the president of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the type one diabetes charity, which Sophie supports, and Jeremy also suffers with the condition.

Sophie showed them her special JDRF secondary school pack which helps children with type one diabetes to manage their condition in the classroom.

Sophie, who lives in Mill Hill, achieved good marks in her GCSEs despite missing a lot of school due to her diabetes, and is currently studying for her AS levels.