Mattie Hansing was nine years old when she was diagnosed

Seventeen years ago, Brit Mattie Hansing and her family were living in Dubai when her mum decided to take her to A&E for a quick check-up instead of school. The nine year old had been acting a " little off " for a while, losing weight and frequently needing the loo during the night, even without drinking water.

What was supposed to be a simple check-up turned into a 10-day hospital stay and a life-altering diagnosis of type one diabetes after just one urine test. Mattie said: "In many ways, I consider myself one of the fortunate ones... I was diagnosed before my organs began to shut down, which is sadly a common scenario for many individuals with late-detected type 1.

"Type 1 diabetes can be extremely difficult to detect

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