Woman pledges to drop type 2 diabetes medication after swimming 22 miles

A woman with type 2 diabetes has set her sights on swimming the same distance as the English Channel in a bid to raise money for charity.
Jane Pack, from Potters Bar in Hertfordshire, has pledged she will swim 22 miles for Diabetes UK, and at the same time hopes to increase her fitness.
Type 2 diabetes is normally associated with poor lifestyle and obesity, however it can be controlled or prevented by exercising and following a healthy diet.
Jane, 54, underwent gastric bypass surgery last year, an operation that makes food eaten bypass most of the stomach and small intestine, so fewer calories are ingested. The process is successful at achieving weight loss partly because the stomach is made smaller and also because the main part of the small intestine that digests carbohydrate is bypassed.
Since undergoing her operatio, Jane has lost six stone and has stopped using insulin. She has also dropped dress size from a 24 to 16. She is hoping to continue losing weight and wants to eventually come off all her diabetes medication, in essence reversing her type 2 diabetes.
She told This Is Local London: “I’ve always loved swimming and I wanted to challenge myself and do something to help raise money for Diabetes UK. I’ve been training for about a month now and am really enjoying it, but it is tough.”
Swim22 is a Diabetes UK challenge and was developed to raise awareness of diabetes and to encourage people to get active. The idea is participants sign up to swim 22 miles between February 22 and May 22.
Those who wish to take part must apply beforehand to receive their Swim22 pack, featuring top tips, how to fundraise and a branded hat. The challenge can be carried out by a single person or split between a team of swimmers.
An online tracker will also be available to help swimmers keep track of how far they have swum.
To sponsor Jane visit her JustGiving page or visit www.diabetes.org.uk/swim22 to sign up to the challenge.