In August I’ll take a break from my kayak to join type 1 diabetic mountaineer and Action 4 Diabetes (A4D) co-founder Jerry Gore on the INSULIN 360 challenge, with the aim of raising £25,000 for Action 4 Diabetes, a charity that supports kids in SE Asia with type 1 diabetes.

We will attempt to traverse the entire Hautes Alpes region of the French Alps on mountain bikes – 360km of spectacular terrain with over double the height of Everest in elevation (17,500 metres!), all in a week.

I started fundraising for A4D on the first chapter of my paddling adventure because as a type 1 diabetic myself, this cause means a lot to me. The first child to be diagnosed with T1D in Laos was in 2016, meaning every child that developed this disease before died a slow and absolutely awful death. Disadvantaged kids in SE Asia are dying because they don’t have access to insulin, something we just take for granted in the West. A4D is changing this by providing kids with medical supplies and education in 10 countries around South East Asia.

INSULIN 360 is so named not just because we will be cycling 360km, but because £360 is the amount it costs A4D to support one child for a year and because the charity provides all-around, holistic support to the children.

Please head over to my justgiving page and make a donation, whatever the amount, it is sure to make a difference.

My epic adventure has been raising awareness and showing that type 1 diabetes shouldn’t stop you from achieving anything, and I’ll carry that message into the Insulin 360 challenge.

One part of the challenge I’m looking forward to is learning from Jerry’s years of experience managing diabetes on adventures and expeditions.

I will keep paddling until August (wherever that takes me?! Update – Bari) and then resume my paddling adventure after Insulin360 is complete.

Until Insulin 360, I’ll be paddling with A4D in mind, looking at the sticker on the front of my boat. So please visit my just giving page and spread the word about this project.

Thank you,

Dougal