Age: 9
Age at T1D diagnosis: 8

Matthew was diagnosed with both T1D and celiac disease just last year, but he’s accomplished a lot since then. The month after he was diagnosed, he tried out for a competitive soccer team and made it. Matthew had a successful season—and got to educate his teammates about T1D too. Three months later, he and his dad climbed 12,162 feet to the top of Mount Crested Butte in Colorado. Matthew is proud that he was able to do both of these physical feats soon after being diagnosed, and that he did not let T1D stop him from achieving his goals. Matthew says, “if I can climb a mountain with type 1 diabetes, I can do anything!”