Orange people for a day

Debra Moody believes that despite daily finger pricking and insulin, her son leads a fairly normal life.

"We're used to it," she says.

"He's always been a total sports freak. He plays everything. We just have to be a bit more careful."

While it does have an effect on his life, she says "there are far worse things".

Tomorrow, Nicholas Moody will don his orange cap and join 40,000 other Australians in the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Nicholas was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at seven. Now 14, the Christ Church Grammar School student is connected constantly to an insulin pump and checks his blood sugar several times a day.

Nicholas and his walking team, Nic's Nation, aim to raise at least $5000 this year, his sixth.

"We first got involved to raise funds but it's also a bit of a family event," Mrs Moody said.

Type 1 diabetes affects more than 122,000 people in Australia.

For information on the walk or make a donation, see http://www.walk.jdrf.org.au/