Living the Dream:
My Life With Type 1 Diabetes

By Olivia Mallows, who lives with Type 1 and is on a hybrid closed loop system

Disclaimer: The information provided is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your healthcare professional about your diabetes management. Individual symptoms, situations and circumstances may vary.

18/03/2026
 

Horses, Sport and the Challenges Along the Way

Like a lot of 7 year-old girls growing up in the country, I was pony obsessed, it was my happy place!  I was now 5 years into fighting the needles and refusing to self-inject, my poor parents were at their wits end, so in a moment of despair my Dad said “ If you inject yourself  we will buy you a pony”– funnily enough the very next meal I ran upstairs and injected myself as quickly as my mum could tell me the necessary units!

Not long after that we welcomed my very naughty, 4-legged best friend Charlie into our family.  A story I like to remind my Dad of every time he moans about the horses, as unfortunately it was not just a phase and 19 years on, 4-legged friends are still the centre of everything.

But life is not sunshine and rainbows all the time, and with the horses came new challenges. Dirty fingers and finger pricks are not ideal. My fingers were black (not just from the dirt of the horses) but from the build-up of constant pricking to keep on top of my levels as I was so active. I was losing nerve feeling in my fingers and unable to feel burning hot plates.  Friends’ sleepovers were a no-go as the nightly checks were an ask too far for parents unfamiliar with diabetes.

How Technology Changed Everything

The first 10 years of living with diabetes consisted of the same monitor and the same pens and very little progress until, in 2016, the FreeStyle Libre system^* came along and revolutionised everything. My mum had her first full night’s sleep for 10 years and independent living finally seemed a possibility. It was revolutionary, the power of the going up/going down or stable arrow is something you cannot describe.

I have always been completely obsessed with sport whether it’s running, swimming, hockey, riding or skiing, I am happiest when I’m active. With my original FreeStyle Libre sensor^*, everything became a lot more manageable. However, the pens were still a big issue.  With all the adrenaline spikes, I constantly ran high, but the faff and embarrassment of having to stop what I was doing and give an injection to manage my levels was, in my teenage head, something I was not prepared to deal with a lot of the time.

However, help was coming my way and I was introduced to my first pump, it was incredible. Corrections weren’t an issue and my time in range doubled. I was, however, still a 13 year-old girl and, although I never let diabetes define me, this new 24 hours a day accessory took some getting used to and personally I liked to hide it. I don’t mind being different but I was still a girl who liked to be seen as the same, and so clothes shopping’s top priority was “where is my pump going to go?”

Facing Yet Another Hurdle

From those first early days with Charlie Pony, the horses have always been my emotional support.  They are stoically by your side through it all, whether we are out showjumping, or I’m sat on the floor trying to come round from a hypo,  Henry (my bigger and naughtier horse) is there with his nose to my forehead waiting – all be it probably for me to be functioning again to give him a treat!

Don’t get me wrong, he provides extra challenges too. From me falling off him and smashing my pump to trying to eat my tubing, he has added different hurdles!

In 2023, I had finished school and planned a gap year. It was going to be our year, all competitions were planned and goals were set but unfortunately, Henry had to undergo emergency surgery and was out for the year.

I was completely lost with what to do with myself, but a friend suggested we go travelling – my first thought was “can I do that with diabetes? Is it a step too far?”

I proposed the idea to my diabetes team and to my surprise my amazing nurse Laura didn’t even bat an eyelid “It can’t be harder than when you went skiing” she said (I had a streak of breaking my pump skiing).

Finding Freedom with HCL

So, after an extreme game of tetrus packing, I had 4 months supplies of meds in my hand luggage and we jetted off to Australia. Between the amazing sensor technology and Nurse Laura on speed dial, the bucket list items were ticked off, diabetes didn’t define me. Admittedly there were some dodgy sensor tan lines but amongst the many adventures, I even managed to skydive!

The hybrid closed loop (HCL) system has completely changed my life – my crazily active lifestyle has put the tech to the test but I have recently moved to using a FreeStyle Libre 2 Plus sensor with the  Omnipod® 5 (OP5) Automated Insulin Delivery System- a whole new level of freedom. To Henry’s disappointment there is no longer tubing to snack on but he does like an OP5 Boop to check all is ok!

My HCL has survived skiing and is currently helping me to train for the London marathon in April. I thought the extra monitor required would be a challenge but everyone is glued to a phone these days, so they don’t know whether I’m playing candy crush or carb counting and that is incredible.

My advice to anyone considering an HCL system is go for it! It is 24/7 and a constant reminder but so is diabetes, there are no days off, but an HCL system, in my mind, is the closest to a cheat day as you can get. Life is busy, but with  your sensor and pump, management can be as quick as sending a text!

At the time of writing, Olivia was an intern at Abbott. All views are her own and not necessarily those of Abbott.