A WOMAN who has had diabetes for 70 years has been hailed as an inspiration to others.

Joan Willis, 74, of Woodgrange Drive, Thorpe Bay, has been commended for living with type one diabetes since the age of four.

To mark the occasion, Diabetes UK gave Mrs Willis a medal to celebrate her efforts living with the condition.

Suffering with type one diabetes means her body cannot produce enough insulin to break down sugar. As a result, Mrs Willis has to have five injections of insulin every day.

She said: “It was just life and I had to learn to deal with it.

“When I was young it was tough to get used to, but the other side of things was if I didn’t take the injections or monitor my blood sugar levels then I could fall into a coma and die.”

Diabetes affects 2.9m million people in the UK.

Mrs Willis added: “When I was first told I had diabetes, my parents would have to take some of my blood and boil it on the stove before doing a test to see how my blood sugar level was.

“Nowadays you can just use a little device which pricks your finger and tells you your level.

“I have been rewarded before, for reaching 50 and 60 years, but I would like to hang around and see if I can get anymore recognition.

“I want to live to 100!”