Age: 17
Age at T1D diagnosis: 7

Blythe is intimately familiar with the challenges of being a teen with T1D. At age 15, after almost a decade living with the disease, she began to feel the pressure of managing it. “I just wanted to fit in, to be able to go hang out with friends and not have to worry about checking my blood sugar or taking insulin. I just wanted to be ‘normal’ for once.” But her parents and doctors soon realized that Blythe’s HbA1c was dangerously high.

Today, Blythe has regained control and part of her “new normal” life is her extraordinary commitment to JDRF. She has served as a youth ambassador, delivering speeches and making TV and radio appearances, and she organized and hosted the first-ever Talent for a Cure—a hugely successful talent show to raise money for JDRF.