Eastbourne father and son to take on Tough Mudder challenge after receiving life-changing diagnosis

Chris Eyre and his son Caleb will tackle the course, laden with more than 20 obstacles, in Faygate, West Sussex on Saturday, September 19.

Caleb, 16, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in December 2024, and the pair will be raising money for East Sussex Children’s Diabetes Team -who have supported the 16-year-old since his diagnosis.

There are about 35,000 young people under the age of 19 with diabetes in the UK, with 96% of them diagnosed with type 1 (Diabetes UK).

A 2023 study published in the JAMA Network Open journal found an unusually higher rate of type 1 diabetes diagnosis in children and adolescents after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic than before.

Caleb said the East Sussex Children’s Diabetes Team helped him through ‘just about everything’, with the team on hand day and night to support the family with any concerns or queries.

Karen, Caleb’s mum, said: “The transition between hospital, where obviously you're looked after by your own dedicated nurse, to then being out in the world was a massive shock to all of us.

“There was so much to learn, you literally had to become an absolute expert in such little time.”

Karen helps her husband with Eastbourne Music Fest – a venture he started three years ago with the aim of making live music more affordable again after the pandemic.

The ethos behind the events are to give back to the local community, and Chris was keen this time to give back to a ‘heavily under-funded’ organisation that have helped his family so much.

For Caleb and his family, their lives have been transformed with essential knowledge about how to monitor his glucose levels, work out how many carbohydrates he’s eaten and to determine how much insulin he needs.

But the 16-year-old, who is involved in the army cadets, insisted that after having to learn all about it, he’s been able to take it on and lead a normal teenager’s life.

He said: “It might seem like it can stop you from a lot of things, but it doesn't. After you've normalised it, you just get used to it. It doesn't stop you from doing anything.”

Chris and Karen praised their ‘brilliant’ son for his approach to the diagnosis and provided their perspective as parents.

“It is life changing,” Chris said. “And I think for any child who has had this thrown upon them, there is light at the end of the tunnel, actually. It's not pretty and it's not nice, and it is life changing – no one can take that away. But it will get better.”

Chris has completed the challenge before, raising money for Friends of Eastbourne Hospital last year, and while he said Caleb’s task will be tougher with his condition, the 16-year-old’s determination proves that ‘life doesn't stop’ after diagnosis.

You can donate to Chris and Caleb’s JustGiving page at https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/toughmudder-for-diabetes.