Mid Sussex A-Level results: Burgess Hill Girls sixth-former gets three A*s despite diabetes diagnosis just weeks before exams

Francesca Evans, 18, from Lindfield, scored top marks in English Literature, Religious Studies and Psychology, getting her results on Thursday, August 18.

She said she found out she had diabetes in April while on holiday in Cornwall.

“I wasn’t expecting it but I hadn’t been feeling well for ages,” said Francesca, whose mother is a doctor and suspected her daughter might have the condition.

“We went on holiday and it got way worse and I started drinking loads of water,” she said.

So Francesca and her mum got a glucose meter to test her blood sugar.

“You’re meant to be between five and seven and I was at 22, which was really high, so we rushed straight to a hospital,” she said.

According to the NHS type one diabetes is not linked with age or being overweight.

It causes the level of glucose in people’s blood to become too high as the body cannot produce insulin, so people with the condition need to take insulin to keep their blood glucose levels stable.

Francesca said: “I have to watch what I eat because eating sugary stuff sends my blood sugar really high and I feel sick and my head goes all fuzzy.

“But you also have to avoid taking too much insulin because you can get a low, which is really scary because you start shaking.”

Francesca is feeling much better now and manages her condition mostly through her diet.

She also has a Libre on her arm, which she can scan with her phone to check her blood sugar.

Francesca was worried about the exams so she made arrangements with the school so she could bring in insulin, apple juice and snacks.

Thankfully the exams went smoothly, she said, adding that they were better than her mock ones where she felt ill.

Francesca said she found revision stressful though because she had to learn about her condition and manage it at the same time.

But she is thrilled at her results.

“I was so happy, I really wasn't expecting that,” she said.

She plans to apply to Cambridge after taking a year out to travel and possibly do conservation work.