I got my first tattoo at 39 for my daughter Sunday Style editor Kerrie McCallum and her daughter Marley. NEARLY four years ago, my daughter Marley was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes). She was only three. I remember the day so clearly and how it changed our life forever. The diagnosis came out of the blue. I'd taken her to the GP because she was moody and lethargic and I was worried she had a virus. An hour later I was in emergency, where we stayed for a week. A world of needles, injecting insulin, counting carbs and many scary episodes ensued. Imagine being told you will need to keep your child alive using insulin, every day and every night for the rest of your life? Everything was challenged: my marriage, my family, how I managed this illness and stayed positive for my daughter, how I ensured it did not disrupt or dominate my son's life (he is now four and does not have type 1 diabetes, nor do we have any family history of diabetes). Type 1 diabetes has no known cause or cure The thing about type 1 diabetes is that once you get it (and onset can happen at any time), it's in your life forever. It's not preventable, no-one knows the cause and there is no cure. In brief, Marley's immune system accidentally destroyed her pancreas - she can no longer produce the growth hormone insulin, and hence can't process carbohydrates to make energy. We face prejudice often - people confuse type 1 with type 2 diabetes, or believe it is reversible, or it's "easy" to manage, or it's because we've eaten too much sugar, or that it is somehow our fault. Marley's insulin pump. Starting school knowing you are different Over time, our confidence in dealing with diabetes has grown, although the unpredictable nature of type 1 has thrown us a few curve balls. Especially when we reached our next major hurdle: starting school. For the first time, Marley felt she was different. I tried to explain to her that everyone was "different," and it was a badge of honour (citing Lady Gaga for reference!). But I just couldn't turn things around in her eyes. She hated being late to lunch with her friends (she had to wait behind and get her blood tested by her aide before she could eat; she had to have an insulin dose to account for any carbohydrates she was eating). Going to the canteen was difficult. She was too young to input the food herself. She felt it was stopping her doing things. While we addressed and fixed these things with the support of her incredible aide and the school (who have always been so considerate), a melancholy lingered. Conversations that make a mother's heartache One night she came to my bedroom in tears, asking me if she had to have her "stupid insulin pump" forever? Marley wears a device called an insulin pump instead of regular injections. "Why do I have to have diabetes?" she asked. Will it ever go away? It's one of those conversations you have as a mum that makes your heart actually ache. I told her that yes, she would have diabetes forever, but that I was in it forever with her too, and that I would do whatever it took to make life easier for her, and to help her with the load. Then I remembered a story a friend had sent me about two parents in Canada who had gotten tattoos of their son's insulin pump. I told Marley I would get a pump too, and I was going to have it and wear it forever with her. She liked the sound of it, and cheered up a little. Kerrie's tattoo of her daughter's insulin pump. The most special Mother's Day gift Mother's Day was only a few weeks away, so I asked my husband if he could make my gift a tattoo. Neither of us had a tat so he was a bit taken aback. But for me, it seemed like small fry compared to what Marley faced, so I wanted an exact replica in the exact place Marley wore hers. I took her insulin pump into [tattoo parlour] Bondi Ink. Heavily tattooed dudes with tat sleeves populated the chairs; I was in loafers and leather jodhpurs. The tough girl on the counter clocked me ("suburban mum wants daisy on ankle"). I showed her my daughter's pump, explained how my daughter needed this machine to stay alive, and that I wanted an exact version tattooed on me. She brightened immeasurably and sketched the tattoo in incredible detail (the buttons, the shading, the arrows were perfect). I found myself on a chair holding a friend's hand for two hours. It hurt, in a kind of constant, unpleasant way. "Suck it up!" admonished the tattooist. Think of what your daughter has to go through every day. She finally finished, and it was kind of incredible and enormous. My kids were thrilled, particularly my daughter. She now gets to press all the buttons on my pump, just like I do hers. Sunday Style editor Kerrie McCallum. I know there will be more hurdles I've been asked why I would tattoo myself, in the event that new technology supersedes the pump? Or, what if a cure was discovered? And my response is this: if that happens, it would be the best news I could ever hope to have in my lifetime. Me having a measly tattoo on my back pales in comparison to how excited I would feel if someone, somewhere, could find a cure. I'm proud of my pump and what it says for my daughter and this period of our life. It's a small gesture I made that makes both of us feel good. The fact is, my tattoo makes this ultimate statement to my daughter: I am proud of you and your pump, you inspire me, we will own this together, and we won't let it change who we are. World Diabetes Day - how you can make a difference We recently celebrated World Diabetes Day. It's the anniversary of the birthday of Frederick Banting, the man who discovered insulin, and the drug that keeps Marley alive. Type 1 often gets lost among the noise and global epidemic that is type 2 diabetes (also something millions of people are challenged with). Spare a thought for the kids who, through no fault of their own, ended up with the condition and live with it every day, forever. I would be forever grateful if you could contribute to help find a cure. Visit jdrf.org.au to make a donation and a difference. Read more on Kidspot: Type 1 diabetes: The fastest growing chronic illness in Australian kids Facts about diabetes Gestational diabetes