Your body needs energy
Food gives us glucose, a kind of fuel. Insulin acts like a key, helping that fuel move from the blood into the body’s cells.
An illustrated story of courage & discovery
Tobi’s
Journey
From Hackney to faraway shores, one boy discovers that a diagnosis can be a new beginning.
Begin the journeySix moments, one big adventure
The Journey
Every journey changes us. Tobi’s begins at home and leads somewhere he never expected.
- 01
Chapter one · Hackney
A suitcase by the door
Tobi packs his favourite things and waves goodbye to the familiar streets of home.
- 02
Chapter two · Mumbai
A city full of colour
New sounds, new flavours and a thousand things to notice. The adventure has truly begun.
- 03
Chapter three · Thailand
Islands in the sun
Tobi finds warm water, tall palms and bright days made for exploring.
- 04
Chapter four · The turning point
Something feels different
Tobi is very thirsty and tired. He listens to his body and tells a grown-up he trusts.
- 05
Chapter five · The diagnosis
A name, and a plan
The doctors explain type 1 diabetes. It is a lot to learn—but Tobi is not learning alone.
- 06
The story continues · Living well
Ready for what comes next
With insulin, care and confidence, Tobi’s world is still full of possibility.
Clear answers, kindly told
What is type 1 diabetes?
It sounds like a big name. But understanding it can make it feel much smaller.
Let’s clear up a myth: type 1 diabetes is not caused by eating sugar—or by anything Tobi did.
It isn’t anyone’s fault
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly stops the body making insulin. It is not caused by food, weight or a lack of exercise.
Insulin helps people thrive
Checking glucose and taking insulin become part of the day—like brushing your teeth, with a little more maths and teamwork.
After diagnosis
Living well means living fully
Type 1 becomes part of Tobi’s story. It never becomes the whole story.
Move
Run, swim, dance, play
Explore
Pack a bag and see more
Belong
Share laughs with friends
Enjoy
Food, celebrations and life
“The map may change, but the adventure goes on.”
The story behind the story
This is a true story. Mine.
My name is Alim. At 28, halfway through travelling Southeast Asia, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Four days in a hospital in Phuket, then a flight back to London for proper treatment.
Life changed instantly. New words — insulin, carbohydrates, glucose — became part of every single day. What got me through was understanding, and the people who took the time to explain things kindly.
Tobi’s Journey is the book I wished had existed in that hospital bed: a story that makes room for the fear, and then for everything that comes after.
For schools & educators
A gentler way to begin an important conversation.
Tobi’s Journey can support classroom conversations about empathy, health, difference and resilience—giving children language for questions they may be carrying.
Request an e-book copy