THE youngest ever person to be treated at Colchester General Hospital for type one diabetes wants to give something back.

Kerys Pyne was only one when in 1994 she was diagnosed with the life-changing illness.

To manage her blood sugar levels she now has between five and nine insulin injections a day.

In total, the 24-year-old from Ardleigh has had more than 55,000 injections to date.

But determined Kerys has now pledged to trek the Great Wall of China to raise £2,000 for the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund) type one diabetes charity.

She said: "I want to prove to people that although you have to be really careful, you can carry on with life.

"I also say it is a celebration of strength and fighting spirit and you need that to live with diabetes."

Kerys, who went to Manningtree High School, said being diagnosed was complex because she was only a baby.

When she was finally diagnosed she had a blood sugar level of 54 but a reading of between four and seven is considered normal.

She said: "I was given 24 hours to live.

"I spent birthdays in hospital. My parents injected me until I was about six or seven and that's when I took over. By then I was having three a day."

The toll the trek will take on Kerys' energy means she may need up to nine injections a day and will have to keep her sugar levels up by ensuring she eats plenty of snacks.

Kerys, who now works as a cosmetic therapist, will be joining a group to undertake the seven-day trek over about 70 kilometres in October.

Much of it will entail climbing steps.

She added: "I really want to give something back. The hospital helped me so much over the years and not only me, but my family.

"I am excited for it. I want to prove to everyone I can do it."

Kerys is funding the trip herself so all money donated will go directly to her chosen charity.

Sponsor her at www.justgiving.com/kerys-pyne2