Aaron Perry may have type one diabetes - but he's never let that hold him back.
The 29-year-old has been a professional cyclist with Team Novo Nordisk and wants to show others that a diagnosis like his doesn't need to hold people back.
Next month he and two fellow Rotorua cyclists, Peter Jenks and Ben McHale, will travel to Australia as part of a 12-person New Zealand team to take part in a 160km charity ride to raise funds and awareness for JDRF - the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Mr Perry is involved with setting up a New Zealand branch of the foundation.
Diagnosed when he was just 16, on the night before his school ball, Mr Perry said as well as raising money to help with research, a big aim was to help raise awareness of the condition.
He said it wasn't until his early 20s that the reality of the condition kicked in, but it hadn't held him back.
"I've had my ups and downs. It is one of those conditions that is constantly changing. You think you are just getting on top of it and then you're thrown a curveball."
Mr Perry spent two years as a professional cyclist and said that went to show you could still accomplish things and achieve dreams.
Instead of holding him back, he said the diagnosis had made him more determined.
"I have hard moments but any athlete or anyone pushing themselves has good days and bad days."
Mr Perry said the benefits of having a New Zealand branch of JDRF would be huge and would help to give type one diabetes an "identity".
The ride itself would generate funds to set up the charity which aims to find a cure, as well as finding effective treatments and therapies.
"It's all about advocacy."
Mr Jenks is also a type one diabetic - diagnosed "two weeks before September 11 [2001]".
"I was 55. I had all the symptoms but it is amazing how you rationalise them."
Dr McHale, a friend of Mr Perry's, said he was coming at it "from a slightly different angle".
He said as a doctor, you couldn't not have a connection with the condition and he had seen a number of people diagnosed with the condition.
"Getting involved was something I couldn't say no to.
"I've seen first hand what he has managed to achieve, it shows first hand what you can do."
To support the three on the team's mission to raise $50,000 go to https://jdrf-ride-2017.everydayhero.com/nz/jdrf-new-zealand.
Go to www.jdrf.org.nz to find out more about the New Zealand branch of the organisation.
TYPE ONE DIABETES:
-Is a life-threatening autoimmune disease
- Affects both children and adults
- The body attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin so the body produces no or little insulin.
- It most often develops in childhood but can occur at any age.