A woman with diabetes told she may ‘never walk without difficulty again’ after the bones in her right foot disintegrated is defying expectations by running the London Marathon this weekend to prove her diagnosis is not a ‘life-sentence’.
Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just four-years-old, trainee solicitor Holly Thurlby, 29, found herself withdrawing from her vital diabetes care in her early teens after facing cruel taunts from other kids.
But avoiding her blood testing and insulin injections had horrific health consequences for Holly, who lives in Nottingham, and aged 22 she was on the verge of going blind and was diagnosed with Charcot foot, a condition where the bones weaken due to significant nerve damage.
Undergoing laser eye surgery to save her sight and having a thick cast replaced on her foot every week to rebuild her bones for a whole year, Holly, who lives in Nottingham, was given a devastating prognosis.
Holly, who lives with her boyfriend, engineer, Mark, 50, said: “A doctor said to me, ‘You will never wear normal shoes again, like a normal 22 year old, you’ll probably have difficulty walking and don’t expect to be able to exercise again’.
“It was soul-destroying.”
Determined not to let that happen, and with the help of life-changing diabetes technology, Holly began physio and exercise to rebuild her strength – with incredible results.
Beating all odds to run the London Marathon this Sunday, October 2, Holly added: “When I cross that line, it will be very emotional.
“I will feel so proud and relieved to know that I have done it – not just for me but to show everyone that diabetes doesn’t have to decide your fate in a negative way.”
With little memory of a life before having type 1, Holly said her diabetes was never really a problem as a child.
She said: “I remember having a pen with elephants on that my mum used to inject me with twice a day.“Then when I went to kids’ parties, my mum would tell them what I needed to eat – and that was it really.”
But heading to secondary school, Holly’s relationship with her diabetes gradually changed.
Holly said: “Kids can be horrible at that age and they will pick on anything that makes a kid stand out, which unfortunately for me, was my diabetes.
“In school, the last thing you want is to stand out – but I had a box full of diabetes kit in the classroom and needed to do blood tests and injections at lunchtime.”
Dealing with this on top of the usual teenage tribulations, Holly began to struggle and her diabetes care suffered – despite the love and support of her family.
She said: “I was probably around 13 when I stopped engaging with it because I was in that headspace where no matter what your conscious brain is telling you, you just can’t look after yourself.
“I completely drew away from it and wouldn’t engage with it at lunchtime when I needed to.
“Then, when I went to hospital appointments and was told my levels were bad, it made me feel like a failure and just made everything worse.”
After leaving school to study law at Nottingham Trent University, Holly struggled with her mental health and diabetes care.
After years of feeling unwell, everything came to a head in July 2015.
She said: “I was on a trip to Geneva with my university and I was so unwell.
“I ended up getting hospitalised because I couldn’t pass urine, which is a result of nerve damage caused by consistent high blood sugar levels.”
Supported to begin her insulin injections regularly again, Holly knew she needed to take her care seriously.
They told me the bones in the middle of my right foot had basically disintegrated.
But less than a year later, in May 2016, Holly noticed her foot was red and swollen and hurt to walk on.
She said: “I presented myself at the foot clinic because I knew something wasn’t right.
“They told me the bones in the middle of my right foot had basically disintegrated because of a lack of oxygen and nerve damage.
“I had to have an insole on my foot, with 2cm-thick bandaging and padding all around my foot and up to my knee, as well as plaster of Paris on top, which I had to have changed weekly.”
She added: “The purpose was to restrict any movement of the foot and leave the bone to reform.
“I couldn’t wear a normal shoe and it was quite tricky to move around.”
At the same time, Holly was also having treatment in an attempt to stop her going blind.
She said: “It was another complication from the diabetes. I had to have injections in the back of my eyes, which was very uncomfortable, as well as laser surgery and vitrectomy – eye surgery – which incredibly, saved my eyesight.
“I was scared, but I was determined not to let that be the end.”
Five months into her care however, Holly was given the warning that she would likely never walk normally, wear normal shoes or exercise ever again.
Holly said: “The doctor told me the damage to my foot was so severe, that would be the likely outcome.”
Her reaction was complete dejection – and fury.
She said: “I felt so angry. You should never leave someone without hope, you always need light at the end of the tunnel.”
Determined to create her own light, Holly focused on her year of treatment before embarking on six weeks of physio.
Holly said: “I thought, I don’t want to not run and not walk and have that as a life sentence.”
Gradually, Holly’s foot was rebuilt and she could wear normal shoes again.
I want to show that I can do this, despite everything.
And she also took charge of her glucose levels, explaining: “I started to see my diabetes consultant and talk about different technologies.”
Given an Abbott FreeStyle Libre – a glucose monitoring system which tracks an individual’s glucose levels day and night – was a gamechanger for Holly.
She said: “It changed my life without a doubt. It has allowed me to take ownership and be proud of my diabetes.”
Holly added: “Now I use the FreeStyle Libre 2 and can go out with my phone, which is my scanner for my sensor and it will give me alerts if I fall out of my chosen personal glucose range.”
With more control and her foot in better condition, Holly could also start exercising.
She said: “I started a boot camp with my mum in late 2016 and then I started running in December 2017, which has been amazing for my mental and physical health.
“I’d started dating my boyfriend, Mark, in October 2017, and we decided to do the Great North Run.”
Holly added: “I felt like I had found a real purpose. As I ran, I would imagine writing the doctor a letter saying ‘This is how far I have come and this is what I can do’.”
While rebuilding her health, Holly went on to become a paralegal and now, a trainee solicitor.
She said: “My career was delayed by two years because of my diabetes.
“But ultimately, I took control of my diabetes to make my life easier, and a huge part of that was my Libre.”
And on Sunday, Holly will be running the London Marathon for the first time.
She said: “I want to show that I can do this, despite everything.
“And I want to be able to show those little boys and girls with diabetes, that this isn’t a life sentence.
“The fact that I will be running along with my little sensor, which someone at home might see on the TV and realise that they can do it too, is amazing.”
Follow Holly’s Instagram here: www.instagram.com/hollyrebekahblog/?r=nametag
