I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes nearly mid way through my AS courses, and my grades have suffered as a result. While my teachers were well meaning, they didn't understand the implications of being newly diagnosed, how ill I felt, the emotional stress, and how your memory/concentration can suffer. I don't have appalling grades, ABCC, and I intend to retake 2 units so predicted A2 grades should be at least A* AB.
However, I'm so stressed about my application, and how universities will perceive me as a person, because the grades don't reflect what I can do. I wasn't offered any advice on extenuating circumstances, and so I only requested it on one piece of coursework. I'm also worried that unis will write off type 1 as a valid problem, because most of their diabetic students will have had the illness about 10 years longer than I have, and will have it under much better control than I have it.
So really, this is a cry for help, to anyone who had their studies affected by a long term illness - how did you explain it to universities in a way that made them understand?