Albert Ford: Congressional Hearing
As the end of the 2007 JDRF Children’s Congress rapidly approaches, the delegates and their families were given the opportunity to attend a hearing with members of Congress who are part of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The chair of the committee, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, graciously turned over the gavel to Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who chaired the meeting. Senators Daniel Akaka (HI), Jon Tester (MT), Carl Levin (MI) and Committee Chairman Leiberman participated in the hearing and welcomed the delegates from their states. During the hearing, Panel 1 consisted of NBA star Adam Morrison, JDRF International Chair and actress Mary Tyler Moore, and Director of the NIDDK Dr. Griffin Rogers. Panel 2 consisted of CC 2007 delegates Caroline McEnery, Caitlin Crawford, Tre Hawkins (from my hometown of Detroit), and Mrs. Ann Strader speaking on behalf of her sons Abe and Curt Strader.
All gave speeches that helped to put a face to diabetes and show what day-to-day life with diabetes is really all about. The hearing was held at the Dirksen Senate Building near the Capitol. The purpose of this hearing was to raise awareness in Congress about juvenile diabetes and how truly awful it is and to attract media coverage to increase awareness about the prevalence of diabetes on a national spectrum.
As a past delegate, I thought the Panel 2 delegate members did a fantastic job expressing their lives and how diabetes has affected what they do. It is amazing how much diabetes impacts one's life. It is easy for diabetics to know how diabetes affects their lives because we live with it every day, however, it is more difficult for members of Congress because they do not live with it everyday. This is why it is so important for the delegates to make an impact on their members of Congress when they go to visit them this afternoon.
As the end of Children's Congress 2007 is near, we will wrap these days up with a dinner dance tonight at our hotel. After a long and successful day on Capitol Hill, it will be nice for the delegates to have one last chance to reminisce about CC '07 with their new-found friends that will last a lifetime.
As a delegate during the Children's Congress in 2005, I have had an amazing experience coming back as a “roving reporter” and viewing this event from a different vantage point. It has been an honor to write these blogs and share with the public how amazing Children’s Congress really is. For more about Children’s Congress, please read the other posts, listen to the podcasts, and watch videos from the event.