About Me

I was recently featured in The Times about my work with diabetes! Please click here to read more.

Joe Fraser

Hi, I’m Joe Fraser and I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1999, aged 13. I found it really hard to adjust to being a diabetic, and it wasn’t just having to test, inject, and keep to a strict diet that was difficult. The fact of suddenly having to deal with this problem that I’d never had before, and which wasn’t going to go away, was a real shock! Getting a handle on diabetes was pretty tricky for the first year or so; I felt quite rubbish most of the time and put on quite a lot of weight. But gradually I managed to work things out, to incorporate exercise into my routine, to eat less, and to stay on top of the glucose levels.

After a transfer to the more flexible system of four injections a day and a few years of learning to manage the disease, I decided to pass on the knowledge and techniques I had picked up. (It turns out it’s a bit more complicated than just stabbing yourself with a needle every few hours!) I had learned to live a ‘normal’ teenage life of parties, sport, and course work whilst staying in control, but I had to do this the hard way. I thought I should try and help people manage their diabetes so they wouldn’t have to go through the mistakes I made along the way. I began writing a booklet in my gap year of 2005, and by 2006 it had been published by Wiley. “Joe’s Rough Guide to Diabetes” was sponsored by Sanofi Aventis, had a print run of 20,000 copies and was distributed throughout the NHS.

Having graduated from university in 2008 I decided to continue my work to make diabetics’ lives better. Since then I’ve set up Joe’s Diabetes Ltd. and have been developing products to this end. There’s now a significantly expanded 2nd edition of the book, with new and improved advice. I’ve also designed a new type of carry-case that takes all an insulin-dependent diabetic needs for 24 hours’ treatment in the smallest space possible, Joe’s Small-in-one. The idea is that you can take all your diabetic equipment around with you without being encumbered. Both products are designed to help you live your life in a way that means you’re diabetically controlled, but as free and flexible as possible.

I must say I am not a doctor and I am not trying to tell you how to live: in the end you -are the only one responsible for the way you manage your diabetes. However, I hope I can help you achieve a perfect compound of flexibility and control, and, more importantly, help you achieve it Your Way.