A former councillor from Hadleigh has spoken of his fears after he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at the end of 2020, aged just 41.
Dad Trevor Clarke, who has lived in the town for his whole life, said his diagnosis just before Christmas last year "was a shock" and he immediately made changes to his lifestyle to try and reverse his diagnosis.
Finding out he had Type 2 diabetes was particularly worrying for him, as he has strong childhood memories of his grandfather having his legs amputated due to the condition.
The shop worker, who is well known from his job at Partridges in the town, said his diabetes was picked up as part of a routine check at the doctors - but he had not experienced any symptoms. Tests showed that Mr Clarke's blood sugar levels were very high.
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Mr Clarke said: "Of course at Christmas you get all your chocolates and all your naughty stuff, so it was a bit of a shock to the system.
"Diabetes runs in my family anyway and the most important thing for me is my grandad lost his legs to diabetes, he had his legs amputated and that is how I remember my grandad, in a wheelchair with no legs."
With the support of his wife Sarah Jane and seven-year-old daughter Laura, Mr Clarke has now signed up for a million steps walk for Diabetes UK to help him get fitter and as a way of raising money for others with the condition.
You will be able to see him pounding the pavements around Hadleigh, regularly walking three to five miles a day, which he said he has "never done in his life before".
Since making healthy changes to his lifestyle Mr Clarke's sugar levels have gone down dramatically and he has lost a stone in weight.
He said: "I have always been overweight anyway so I knew I had to change my diet, change everything really to lose weight and be healthier.
"It just shows you can turn things around, you can change your ways, I have a lot more energy and I feel a lot more upbeat."
You can track Mr Clarke's progress and make a donation to Diabetes UK, here on his fundraising page.
During his Hadleigh walks Mr Clarke often dresses up as children's Disney favourite Olaf from Frozen. He is now looking for suggestions of what to dress up as next, let him know your suggestions by emailing - Trev@clarkesevents.uk.
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