A HEREFORDSHIRE girl is going to the United States to lobby the American Congress on the need to find a cure for childhood diabetes.

Tilly Dunne, from Leintwardine, is one of more than 350,000 people in the UK with the condition that is on the increase.

She was diagnosed in 1995 when she was aged just two and every day, Tilly has to check her blood sugar levels and inject herself with insulin.

Tilly, who has been selected as an international delegate by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is keen to draw attention to the seriousness of the condition that can have long-term complications, including blindness, heart attacks, kidney failure strokes and amputations.

"I have real problems maintaining a balanced blood sugar level, possibly due to my age, so I test myself regularly," said Tilly.

"When I was younger, I couldn't understand why I had to have diabetes and insulin injections and why doctors couldn't cure me.

"I would still love to have just one day without having to do tests and injections and really hope that in the future, a cure can be found so I can be normal."

Without treatment with insulin, diabetes can cause drowsiness, loss of consciousness and can be life-threatening.

Symptoms can include tiredness, extreme thirst and frequent urination. A doctor can undertake a simple test to see if diabetes is the cause.