A relaxed Q&A session then gave the 25-year-old footballer the opportunity to share his own experiences of living with Type 1 diabetes, while hearing directly from pupils about how they manage the condition.
Speaking about living with Type 1 diabetes, O’Brien said: “I was diagnosed at the age of 16. I’d been drinking a lot of water, feeling more tired than usual and losing a lot of weight, despite trying hard to gain it.
“My parents took me to the doctors as a precaution, but my blood sugar levels were so high that I was then sent to the hospital and quickly diagnosed there.
“I didn’t know much about the condition and was looking up who else had been diagnosed. I think it’s really important for these young kids to know they can do anything they set their minds to.”
By the end of the 2026/27 season, Everton in the Community aims to have supported the delivery of diabetes awareness and education sessions to staff across all its Primary and Secondary Education partner schools, as well as rolling out children’s awareness sessions to help pupils support their classmates living with Type 1 diabetes.
Primary Stars Senior Coordinator, Elena Barton, added: “Many of our young people living with Type 1 diabetes look up to Jake, so it was really special for them to have the opportunity to meet him, share their experiences and hear about his own journey. One even refers to Jake as his ‘diabetes brother’.
“Our Primary Education team is working closely with teachers across our partner schools to bring diabetes awareness learning to life, providing continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities to help educators better understand how to support pupils living with the condition.
“This is particularly important during physical education lessons, when children's blood glucose levels can fluctuate. We’ve had the training ourselves and now want to share it across our partner school network and beyond.”
To find out more information about Everton in the Community’s diabetes training sessions or get involved with future events, contact Elena at [elena.barton@evertonfc.com.](mailto:elena.barton@evertonfc.com.)