Meet Natasha, 2007 Children's Congress Delegate

As a Children's Congress delegate in 2007 I met kids and adults from forty-nine other states and six international countries and learned that we shared many experiences living with diabetes. The purpose of the 2007 Children's Congress was to meet with congressmen to share what life with diabetes is like and why research is very important in finding a cure. I learned that speaking to legislators is very important because they need to hear, understand, and grasp the daily struggles of those who have type 1 diabetes. When they hear our stories, they'll realize that "INSULIN IS NOT A CURE!" and they will support more research funds so we can continue to work towards a cure.

My work as advocate for a cure didn’t end with Children’s Congress 2007! When I got back to my home state of Hawaii, I met with the Hawai’i State Legislators to tell them about my life with diabetes. I also asked them that they should continue to help children in this state by spreading awareness and education for teachers and school nurses, so that children with type 1 diabetes may have a better quality of life at school. I helped raise awareness and educated others about type 1 diabetes through television and newspaper interviews. I also had the opportunity to testify at the Hawaii State Capitol to establish a safety net for kids with type 1 diabetes by educating volunteers in the Department of Educations to administer glucagon in the event of an emergency.

I encourage all 2009 Children's Congress delegates to continue to fight, advocate and raise funds to support research to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications. Just like education doesn’t end in the classroom, your work doesn’t stop when get back home. It merely begins your campaign to advocate for a cure NOW!

Sincerely,

Natasha
CC07 Delegates
Hawaii

Watch an interview of Natasha and her dad, Leo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcPD7qRC9Hs&feature=channel_page