The hell that is type 2 diabetes

My husband Tim died suddenly and unexpectedly in February 2018 from complications linked with his type 2 diabetes. Effectively, his heart just stopped. I always said that he was the centre of my turning world; the spot of calm in my hectic life. And his death has left me floundering. I am now trying to rebuild my life without that centre, and it's hard. It's not even day by day – sometimes its hour by hour, or even minute by minute. And it's early days. The journey has barely even started, and I suspect that it won't ever actually finish.

My work as a science writer is helping. My mantra, when the world has gone odd and sideways, has always been "I'm going back to my desk to write about science; I understand that." And I have started running again. During 2017, I ran over 650 km and raised more than £1600 for Cancer Research UK. I think there were times Tim wondered who this running-obsessed alien was that had stolen his wife. But he was so proud of me.

Type 2 diabetes is more than just an inconvenience. It's a killer. It reduces your life expectancy by an average of ten years. It increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, kidney disease, and cancer. It can leave you blind.