Hannah McCook: diabetic Scottish golfer uses Steve Redgrave as inspiration

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Hannah McCook is one of Scotland's top golf perspectives

"When I was diagnosed, my parents told me that Sir Steve Redgrave was diabetic and from then on I thought & # 39; look what he can do & # 39 ;, so I believed just that I can go on with it. "

Since she was diagnosed at the age of eight, Hannah McCook has refused to stop diabetes type 1 diabetes.

Now one of the best prospects of Scottish Golf, the 25-year-old is trying later this week to qualify for the Ladies European Tour and has won the Scottish Order of Merit for a third year in a row.

"For a round I have to make sure that my blood sugar levels are stable," she tells BBC Scotland.

"They fall pretty much when I'm warming up, and as soon as I pull out the adrenaline, they nail them down, so they hit them before it goes too far.

" I " I always think about it, instead of just thinking about where the pin positions are or what the wind is.

"Somehow my head takes a little distance from the wave, but at the same time worry more. "

& # 39; I try my best to control it & # 39;

Medical advancement and improving technology have certainly made life a little easier for the golfer from Nethy Bridge, a small village northeast of Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park

"A few years ago I got an insulin pump," McCook explained, "I do not have to do five injections a day, and I now have a continuous glucose monitor connected to my phone, so I mi jn can see blood sugar at all times and I do not do so many finger prick tests

"It makes it easier, but at the same time I still have to do a lot of work and work out the carbohydrate content of every meal.

"The stress and nerves and fatigue affect blood sugar levels and everything on a daily basis, so every day is completely different, but I do my best to keep it as controlled as possible."

& # 39; I am very excited and very nervous & # 39;

McCook says that the prospect of inspiring other people with diabetes gives her an extra boost when she tries to fulfill her dream to blend it at a high professional level.

She exchanges the cold of the Cairngorms for the warmth of Morocco this week, she participates in the first stage of qualifying for the Ladies European Tour in self-conscious mood.

"There are absolutely more people away, I'll read what I'm doing," she added. "It's not just that I play golf, there is also a diabetic community that sees what I'm doing.

" It certainly forces me more to show that you can not stop do what you want to do. At the same time, I just try to feel that I am a normal golfer.

"This year I got a lot more self-confidence, knowing that I can go there with the feeling that I can go on the European Tour.

" I am very excited, very nervous and a little worried, but it's exciting to try something I wanted to do since I started playing golf. "