Age: 15
Age at T1D diagnosis: 12

Despite T1D’s daily challenges, Amelia has a lot of gratitude. “Thankfully I was diagnosed after Frederick Banting discovered insulin. Thankfully I was diagnosed after insulin pump therapy and continuing glucose monitors were invented. Thankfully I was diagnosed and have the opportunity to tell you my story,” she says. Her T1D tale started at 12, when she was diagnosed, but there’s much more to Amelia than the disease. She’s a world traveler, having visited 35 countries and counting. She’s a cross–country skier and half–marathon runner. And she’s a published writer, having written an article about T1D. “I am most proud that diabetes does not define who I am or who I will become. When I grow up I want to be a doctor, mother, friend and daughter who used to have diabetes.”

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