Ten-Year-Old from LA to Represent California at JDRF 2015 Children's Congress

Ten-year-old Madeleine (Maddy) Redmond of Los Angeles, California has big plans for this summer. She has been selected by JDRF to join 160 other children from around the country in Washington, D.C., to remind their members of Congress of the vital need to continue supporting research that aims to reduce the burden they all share of living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), until a cure becomes available.

These children—ages 4 to 17, and representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia—will visit the nation’s capital as delegates to JDRF 2015 Children’s Congress, to be held from July 13-15. Joining them will be six international delegates traveling from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. These international delegates will partner with U.S. delegates to convey a clear message to the federal government that T1D is a global problem that requires a global effort.

The event, which is held every other summer, will include congressional visits by the delegates and a congressional committee hearing, during which selected delegates and T1D celebrity advocates will testify on the need for continued funding for T1D research. These visits serve as a powerful call to our elected lawmakers to remember the struggle of all those living with the disease, and the importance of supporting and funding T1D research.

“These outstanding children and their families all understand, as I do as a father of a loved one with type 1 diabetes, that T1D tests us every day,” says Derek Rapp, JDRF President and CEO. “Children’s Congress gives all of us one voice to urge Congress to maintain its commitment to supporting research, which is essential to reducing the burden of this disease on us and on our country.”
Serving as chair for JDRF 2015 Children’s Congress will be Kimberly Roosevelt of Dallas, Texas, who attended JDRF 2009 Children’s Congress with her delegate daughter Elizabeth, now 13. As chair of the event, Kim will help engage, support, and energize all these delegates and their families during the advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill.

Diagnosed at age 7, Maddy tells an inspiring story about sharing her experience with T1D: “I gave a short speech at the JDRF Imagine Gala about how I had to stick myself a minimum of 84 times a week to test my blood sugar. I asked the audience to please give $84 towards research. As I left the stage my mom showed me the screen, and we saw that I had raised $5,292, and it was still going up!” she says. “I couldn’t believe it!” As a Youth Ambassador, she participates in JDRF Walks and has taken part in the JDRF Promise to Remember Me campaign, which let her tell her story to her Congressman. Maddy keeps busy with tennis, swimming, biking, skating and gymnastics. She also plays the piano and is learning how to speak French and Spanish.

For a video of highlights from JDRF 2013 Children’s Congress, please click here.