Hiding nothing: Diabetic lingerie model Amanda Kuc poses with insulin pump

SHE was just ten months old when she was diagnosed with diabetes.

Amanda Kuc has had to contend with a lifetime of medical conditions after she was diagnosed with an under-active thyroid when she was 15, a blood-clotting disorder when she was 20 and rheumatoid arthritis two years later.

But Amanda, 34, is refusing to allow her illnesses to rule her life and is modelling lingerie wearing her insulin pump, following in the stilettos of US model Sierra Sandison, who wore her pump on stage to be crowned Miss Idaho.

“People tell me it’s good that I do this,” Amanda said. “I do try to lead my life and it’s good for people to see what can be done.

“I got a message from the mother of a girl who was struggling and she said she’d tell her what I was doing. It’s nice to be able to help others.”

Amanda models for Angela Brown, who runs Serenity lingerie boutique in Hessle.

Angela said: “Amanda is one of the bravest girls I know. She never complains and yet she is in constant pain. We’re all so proud of her.

“She has the most amazing figure and she is just stunning. She’s such a lovely girl.”

Amanda was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was a baby and now has to have four injections every day.

“Because I’ve had it all my life, it was just pretty normal to me as I’ve never known anything different,” she said.

“I wear my pump all the time and I used to be on two injections a day before it increased to four and that’s difficult as I’ve always hated needles.”

As a teenager, Amanda, of Elloughton, started feeling extreme tiredness and was putting on weight before doctors diagnosed her with an under-active thyroid.

When she was 20, her arm started swelling up and she was rushed to hospital, where she was diagnosed with a blood-clotting disorder.

At 22, she started experiencing pain in the joints in her hand.

She said: “My hand swelled up and it was horrendously painful. A doctor referred me to a specialist.

“It took months and months of blood tests before they could tell me what it was and that was a bad time in my life.”

Now, despite her health conditions, Amanda manages to work 16 hours a week at an after-school club.

“I have good days and bad days,” she said. “All of these conditions cause tiredness and that’s one of the worst things, just feeling tired all the time.

“I live with my parents and they are wonderful. When I have really bad days, my mum washes my hair and helps me with things. I appreciate that so much.

“My two best friends also have arthritis and I met them through a support group in Hull. When I’m having a bad day, I can speak to them and they understand.”

Amanda’s mother worked alongside Angela at NatWest before Angela left to pursue her dream of opening her own lingerie boutique.

Amanda went along to Serenity in Hessle to get measured and started modelling soon afterwards.

“When I realised she was doing fashion shows, I thought it would be really exciting, so I asked if I could model for her.

“The first time, I was really nervous but I just went out and did it.

“The underwear is so beautiful and all the other women are really nice.

“I still get nervous now, but it’s more about the enjoyment. When you’ve done it, you get a real buzz and Angela is such a lovely person, so it’s just so much fun.”

Although she took off her pump on previous shows, Amanda is now planning to wear it for her next stint on the catwalk.

“I think it’s a good thing to do,” she said.

Sierra Sandison and #showmeyourpump

US MODEL Sierra Sandison, 20, aimed to inspire others when she appeared on stage wearing an insulin pump attached to her bikini earlier this year, pictured.

She shared her photograph online with the hashtag #showmeyourpump and other women with medical conditions have done the same.

Sierra, who was crowned Miss Idaho two years after she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, said at the time: “I wanted to show girls I’m not perfect, that I have a flaw and I’m not afraid to show it.”

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