Andrew Good knew things weren't right when he began losing energy and focus while more than 100m up a sheer rock face he was climbing.
"I had to stop and hang out for a while to get my blood sugar levels sorted," he says. "It was one of those times when I've been stuck while climbing; you get drowsy and your mind starts to wander.
"Knowing the signs is quite important because in that state there is definitely the possibility I could fall."
Good suffers from type 1 diabetes, a condition he was first diagnosed with 25 years ago when aged five. Requiring constant shots of insulin to function, he refuses to let it prevent him from leading an incredibly active life.
He has been scaling rock walls since his school days and in recent years has run two marathons and two half Ironman events – as well as helping to inspire and support other diabetes sufferers through his voluntary role as chairperson of Diabetes Youth Auckland.
His efforts have earned him an ASB Good as Gold award, the bank giving him $10,000 to spend on a family holiday and costs associated with an artificial pancreas he uses.
"We're pleased this award has gone to someone like Andrew who doesn't let his illness hold him back and who is an incredible role model for others with diabetes," says ASB North Harbour regional manager, Warren Bregmen.
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Good is among 240,000 New Zealanders who have diabetes, 26,000 of which have type 1. This is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy.
Although the cause of his condition is unknown, he has been living with it for so long he virtually knows no other life: "I remember when I was young my parents had to hold me down to give me an insulin injection. They did this twice a day, every day, it was quite daunting."
But he decided early on not to let it get in the way of life. "I realised you either attack it and run with it, or let it get you down," he says. "I chose to attack, to push hard to do things and to inspire others."
Now a family man - he and his wife Hayley have a two-year-old daughter - he is busy running his own digital advertising agency from his home in Orewa.
Around these responsibilities he continues with his adventures. Over the years he has climbed as high as 150m up rock faces in New Zealand, Australia and the United States along with competing in the marathon and Ironman events.
His most recent half Ironman (2km swim, 90km bike, 21km run) was in Taupo in 2017 and it was during the bike section he began having trouble with his blood sugar.
"At the start my adrenaline and the cheering and support from the crowd helped push me along, but when I was on the bike I realised my blood sugar levels were dropping; knowing the signs is quite important."
Fortunately Good prepared well, taking plenty of nutrition to combat just such an eventuality. He ate everything he had (including food with high carbohydrates and glucose tablets for his blood sugar) and made it to the end, completing the course in well under six hours.
A fellow rock climber Kate Hazelton (a good friend of Good's wife Hayley) nominated him for the award. She says although Good pushes hard, he manages himself in a very responsible manner.
"We are often climbing together when he begins to have low blood sugars and becomes drowsy while scaling high rock walls," she says. "But not getting on with life is not an option for Andrew and he is determined to be an advocate for others to kick diabetes butt and live an amazing life.
"He devotes a lot of his time to teaching youth how to live a full life while managing the ongoing battle of blood sugar levels. He does none of this for glory."
His work with Diabetes Youth Auckland involves supporting sufferers under 25 and their families. Among other tasks he runs a number of camps every year in which groups of up to 50 are taken away for a few days.
"They are a bit like school camps but much of what we do is around education, showing the kids how to manage their condition and to inspire them to lead active lives," he says. "I really enjoyed going on them when I was little and so I thought I ought to see what I could do to give something back."
In recent years Good has been able to manage his condition even more effectively through the artificial pancreas, a mechanism measuring blood sugar levels by using a continuous glucose monitor. This transmits the information to an insulin pump which releases the required amount of insulin into the body, just as the pancreas does in people who don't have diabetes.
The pump and monitor are attached to Good 24/7. While the pump is Government funded, the monitor, which consists of a small disc placed on the back of his arm, is not cheap and needs replacing every two weeks at $100 a time.
"We always find a way to afford it," he says. "The advances in technology make my management easier and provide more visibility to what's going on which also helps to reduce the likelihood of long-term complications."
Good is so into life he is now considering a new challenge by completing a full Ironman - 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride, 42.2km run - all in one day. Now that would be inspiring.