Two little girls are hoping to walk towards a cure for the life-threatening condition they both suffer from.

Kirsten Turner and Lily McConville, both 9, have Type 1 diabetes and rely on daily injections and the use of an insulin pump to stay healthy.

Next month the young friends will take part in the One Walk 5k, organised by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) which is raising funds to find a cure of the condition, which affects thousands of Scots children.

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Kirsten, from Wishaw, who was diagnosed in January this year, has to monitor her blood every four hours (day and night) while Lily, from East Kilbride, who was diagnosed at the age of five, relies on an insulin pump to manage her condition.

Type 1 diabetes effects 29,000 adults and children in Scotland, including 6,404 adults and children in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

A child diagnosed at the age of five faces 19,000 injections by the time they are 18 years old.

Type 1 diabetes is not linked to lifestyle factors such as obesity, poor diet or lack of exercise. It develops when the body’s own immune system destroys the cells that produce insulin and there is currently no way to prevent the condition.

Lily’s mum Emma said: “Type 1 is relentless.

“ Every aspect of Lily’s life is affected. We all look out for her. Type 1 is a 24-hour a day condition and you don’t get a day off.

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“Even her little sister Holly, who is five, knows what to do if Lily has a ‘hypo’. Finding a cure would be amazing. This is our fourth year on the One Walk because it is so important not just to raise funds, but also to raise awareness.

“In Lily’s case, we saw her losing weight, the constant thirst and constant need to go to the toilet.

“We thought it was a urinary infection, but with the diagnosis of type 1 the penny dropped. We were lucky to catch it when we did.”

Kirsten’s mum, Karen, said: “We are very positive people, but it hasn’t been easy and there have been times when I have wanted to scream and cry.

“Many people think type 1 is common and therefore manageable, but I’d swap one of their days for one of mine, any day.

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“For all that though, Kirsten is fantastic. She doesn’t shy away from it all. She will do her injections openly and talks about it with her friends at school.

“Finding a cure for Kirsten is incredibly important. We really hope that by the time she is an adult the same advances have been made and that there will be no need for injections and pumps.”

The One Walk is taking place in Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell on September 11. To register, go to www.jdrf.org.uk/event/one-walk-central-scotland-2/