The Sunshine Bay resident, who did not want to give his name, was diagnosed in the early 2000s.

“For quite a few years I had noticed a reaction after eating food; I would feel crappy and tired, like someone had pulled the plug out and drained out my energy,” he said.

“I knew something was wrong, so I had blood tests which concluded that I didn’t have diabetes.”

However, he knew something was still very wrong.

“I would wake up in a terrible sweat, which I would later realise was my body getting rid of excess sugar,” he said.

He then had another test, which proved he did, in fact, have type 2 diabetes.

“I would stick to taking my medication, but I would still feel crook after eating, although not as badly,” he said.

He doesn’t know how he got the disease.

“My grandmother was sick and dying of it at the time, but other than that I had no other family that had it,” he said.

“I was exposed to some crappy stuff, but there was no real rhyme or reason why I got diabetes.” 

He is urging people to get tested for diabetes and also to avoid anything that may lead to them getting it.

“It’s horrid, and if there’s one thing I can say to them, it is don’t get diabetes,” he said.

He believes that there is not enough awareness of how difficult it is to live with the disease.

“They don’t scare people enough,” he said.

“Seventy-five per cent of people with diabetes will die of heart disease or stroke.”

Meanwhile, he is living with diabetes as best as he can.

“I need to take eight tablets a day and eat healthy, with fruit and vegetables,” he said.