Day 3: Hill Blitz

Children's Congress 2009 culminated with today's Capitol Hill Blitz. JDRF's message was surely heard this morning in a senate hearing led by Senators Collins and Lieberman. Also in attendance were Senators Burris, Akaka, Lautenberg, Shaheen and Specter.

 The first panel of witnesses included Mary Tyler Moore, Dr. Griffin Rogers, Sugar Ray Leonard, and, of course, Nick Jonas. Each witness shared their relationship to diabetes and what they are doing to help the race to find a cure, while reminding the senators in attendance that we must have their support in this effort. Sugar Ray Leonard used a boxing analogy to describe the plight of those with diabetes, referring to his famous rematch with Roberto Duran, when Duran ended the fight by simply saying "No mas"; however, these delegates, he said, cannot say "No mas" because their diabetes is with them every day and they must fight this disease every moment of their lives. Nick Jonas referenced a song he has written about his diabetes, quoting "All this time goes by, still no reason why, a little but longer and I'll be fine. Waiting on a cure but none of them are sure, a little bit longer and I'll be fine."

The second panel of witnesses included delegates Hannah Ryder of Maine, Patrick Lacher of Connecticut, Asa Kelly of North Carolina, and the Gould family of Tennessee. Each delegate specifically shared their struggles with diabetes day-to-day. Mrs. Gould shared moving testimony that featured her entire family's fight against diabetes–with four of their eight children battling the disease. While the two panels testified before Congress, the delegates were seated in the well of the hearing room, between the senators and the witnesses, and were constantly checking their blood sugar, adjusting their pumps, and taking shots, displaying the constant care diabetes requires.

After the Senate hearing, delegates dispersed to meet with their congressmen. Each delegate was scheduled to meet with their representative and both of their senators. Delegates went before their respective leaders telling their stories of what it is truly like to live with diabetes and asking them to "promise to remember me" when making decisions concerning diabetes and, specifically, diabetes research.

For me, returning to Children's Congress has been a very special opportunity. As a delegate in 2007, I witnessed the power of kids putting a face on this disease and the complications of a life with diabetes. And as an intern with the Government Relations Office in 2009, my perspective of the impact of Children's Congress was only expanded as I continually observed and admired these kids fearlessly asking Congress to partner with JDRF and do its absolute best to support type 1 diabetes research.