By Karen Bate A TEENAGER from Rockbourne who was diagnosed with a life threatening illness at 10 is calling on the government for extra funding for research.

Chloe Whitworth has type 1 diabetes and must take multiple daily injections to keep her alive and prevent life-threatening complications.

Chloe is a youth ambassador for the charity Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

On April 25, 40 children with diabetes will be lobbying parliament on behalf of JDRF to raise political and public awareness of type 1 diabetes and urge the Government to commit to more funding for medical research.

Chloe will meet up with the MPs before attending Question Time, which is set to be chaired by George Pascoe-Watson, the former political editor of the Sun.

Her father Ian said: “We are hugely proud of Chloe - she is a continuous source of inspiration to her sisters and to us.

“Chloe has to test her blood sugar level before every meal and also between meals. She then needs to give herself an injection of insulin, which matches the amount of food she is going to eat.

“If she gives too little insulin her blood sugar will rise, if she gives too much she may reduce her sugar level too much, causing a 'hypo'. This means there is too little sugar in the blood and can cause dizziness, sweating and tremors.

“If not corrected a hypo will lead to a coma as there is not enough sugar for the brain to work.”

Mr Whitworth added: “Currently there is no cure for Type 1 diabetes and if the blood sugar levels are poorly controlled this can eventually lead to damage to the kidneys, eyesight, nerves and blood vessels.

“Chloe's sugar levels have recently been improved by the use of an insulin pump which she can use to maintain a constant flow of insulin and hence better control.”

He added: “There are many avenues that can be explored, such as artificial pancreases, transplants and stem cell research.”

BLOB Nobody knows for sure why insulin-producing cells are destroyed in diabetics, but the most likely cause is the body having an abnormal reaction to the cells, which may be triggered by a virus or other infection.

Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age but usually appears before the age of 40, and especially in childhood.