"I had no choice with this disease but I do have a choice with helping others," says Yvonne, who was diagnosed two days before her sixth birthday. She already knew about type 1 because her older brother, now 10, had been diagnosed a few years earlier at the age of four.

"I had no choice with this disease but I do have a choice with helping others," says Yvonne, who was diagnosed two days before her sixth birthday. She already knew about type 1 because her older brother, now 10, had been diagnosed a few years earlier at the age of four. The siblings have helped raise over $40,000 in the JDRF Walk. "Because of this disease I feel I am closer to my brother," she says. Yvonne has donated her birthday money and allowance to JDRF, helps her parents with fundraising events, and has helped her teacher educate her classmates about diabetes. One day, Yvonne would like to be a teacher herself, and continue educating people about type 1. Yvonne's hobbies include horseback riding, reading, swimming, and taking long bike rides with her family. As a delegate, she wants to increase diabetes awareness and encourage Congress to keep funding research.