Age: 13 Age at T1D diagnosis: 12 Deven is a girl of many talents. When she’s not playing the flute, singing in chorus, drawing, or spiking a volleyball, she is working with her twin sister, Jaden, on the many fundraising events they put together to benefit JDRF. After Jaden was diagnosed with T1D nine years [...]
Age: 17 Age at T1D diagnosis: 8 Joshua remembers one of the early battles after his T1D diagnosis. He and his parents wanted a certain type of pump, but their hospital had only worked with one manufacturer. So they found another family that wanted the same pump. Together the two families persuaded the hospital to [...]
Age: 13 Age at T1D diagnosis: 4 Will loves to try new things—he enjoys bowling, golf, ice skating, fishing, coin collecting, and video games, to name a few. But if he had to pick favorites, he might say baseball and volunteering. When he’s not cheering on his home team—the Yankees—Will can often be found helping [...]
Age: 14 Age at T1D diagnosis: 9 Max finds unexpected creativity in his T1D. “I realized I could use living with this disease as a source of inspiration.” His documentary, Advancements in Diabetic Medications, profiled the history and future of the disease, placing second in a local National History Day competition. An honor student, former [...]
Age: 13 Age at T1D diagnosis: 7 Melissa has tirelessly raised more than $20,000 for JDRF through bake sales and lemonade stands, but she comes to Children’s Congress realizing that there is still work to be done. And she’s willing to put in the time. “I know that we have our work cut out for [...]
Age: 12 Age at T1D diagnosis: 10 As a football player and advocate for T1D, depression, and bullying awareness, Angel is tackling big challenges. “Being a delegate is important to me because it is proof to all other kids like me that having type 1 diabetes doesn’t make you different; it means you have a [...]
Age: 9 Age at T1D diagnosis: 2 Sydney is the only kid at her school with T1D, but because of her efforts, her classmates and teachers know a great deal about the disease. “Most people don’t know that much about type 1 diabetes. When I meet new friends, they stare at me getting my sugar [...]
Age: 13 Age at T1D diagnosis: 1 Patrick dreams about how a cure for his disease could transform daily life for him and other children coping with T1D. “I pray for me, my family, and all the other people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes that we will live to see the day a cure can [...]
Age: 14 Age at T1D diagnosis: 12 Haley understands the devastation T1D can wreak on families, yet uses it as motivation for her advocacy. Her older sister Karissa also has the disease, and their father lost his life to it after suffering from complications. “No family deserves to endure this kind of pain. This is [...]
Age: 8 Age at T1D diagnosis: 2 Hana wants to raise awareness and find a cure for T1D, so that the questions—and the frustrations—can stop. “When we went to the hospital, I wasn’t scared at all, not even when they pricked me. I still get frustrated and mad, but I am happy with who I [...]
