For Jonty Brown, a 35-year-old ultra-marathon runner from Harrogate, the introduction of cutting-edge artificial pancreas technology has been life-changing. As one of the first people in the UK to receive this hybrid closed-loop system, Jonty says it has made his passion for endurance running much more manageable.
Jonty was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was just 12 years old, and he vividly recalls the challenges he faced in controlling his blood sugar levels in the early days. “When I was diagnosed, I had a real phobia of needles, and I was having to do 10 to 15 finger pricks and five or six injections a day,” he recounts.
However, with the support of his local hospital staff and his family, Jonty learned to manage his condition, and things became even easier when he was later given an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor. Then, two years ago, he became one of the first people in the UK to receive the artificial pancreas technology.
The system works by having a blood glucose monitor on the back of Jonty’s arm that continuously tracks his levels, which then communicates with an insulin pump on the back of his leg. “It will try and regulate it for me,” he explains, “and one of the hardest things, like during the night when you’re naturally going up and down, it now controls it for you and keeps you in range, which is a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Jonty says this new technology has “absolutely” changed his life, not least because it has helped alleviate the anxiety and depression he experienced as a teenager due to the unpredictability of his condition. “Waking up in the morning and not knowing what level you are – you could start really low or really high – it’s just a horrible way to start the day,” he says. “It brings on that natural anxiety, which I don’t have now because of the monitor. It’s made it a lot easier to live with.”
The artificial pancreas has also enabled Jonty to pursue his passion for ultra-marathon running, which he says has “taken over [his] whole personality.” He has since become the first type 1 diabetic to run across the UK and the first to complete a 500km ultra-marathon race from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, where he finished fourth.
“It’s made it a lot easier with the pump,” Jonty explains. “Having to stop and check or give yourself insulin would make it really hard, but luckily, because it’s in my pocket, I can have a look at the screen, press a couple of buttons and keep moving. It’s made a lot easier these days.”
With the NHS announcing that tens of thousands of people with type 1 diabetes in England will be offered the new artificial pancreas technology in the coming years, Jonty’s story is a testament to the transformative impact it can have on the lives of those living with the condition.