Heading To The Hill

There are over 130 students in Lexington County School District One living with Type 1 Diabetes.  My 11 year old daughter is one of them.  On August 21, 2008 our world was briefly turned upside down as we received news of this diagnosis.  We knew very little about diabetes or how to treat and manage it.  We learned quickly in order to properly care for our daughter and to be able to teach her to do the same.

Today she is a happy and healthy 5^th grader who excels in the classroom and plays hard on the soccer field and basketball court.  She has taken full ownership of living with diabetes, specifically Type 1 that requires insulin through multiple daily injections or via an insulin pump.  Insulin is what keeps her alive.  It is not a cure.

I believe a cure will come in her lifetime and I will do everything I am able to help the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation make that a reality.  Tomorrow morning, I will be heading to Washington, D.C. along with Chris Dornburg of Irmo to participate in JDRF Government Day on behalf of the JDRF Palmetto Chapter. 

Chris and I will spend two days along with delegates from all over the United States in sessions learning about current research being funded by JDRF to prevent, treat, and cure Type 1 Diabetes.  We will also be briefed on our mission…to ask Congress for continued support of the Special Diabetes Program. 

On Monday and Tuesday of next week, we head to Capitol Hill to meet with Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Jim DeMint, Rep. Joe Wilson, Rep. Trey Gowdy, Rep. Tim Scott, Rep. Mick Mulvaney, Rep. James Clyburn, and Rep. Jeff Duncan.  We will share our stories of how Type 1 Diabetes has impacted our lives and why a cure is so very important. 

Three and half years ago, I had no idea I’d ever be going to Capitol Hill to speak on behalf of people living with diabetes.  Today, I am honored to have the opportunity to do so.  I have learned that it is important to share my daughter’s diagnosis story and ask our elected officials for help.  They need to hear our stories and our passion for making a difference in the lives of people living with Type 1 diabetes.

For more information about Type 1 diabetes and how you can be involved with JDRF, visit www.jdrf.org.

For more information about the local JDRF Palmetto Chapter, please visit http://www.jdrfpalmetto.org/.

Live Webcast for JDRF’s Government Day – Join JDRF’s Dr. Richard Insel and National Institute of Health’s Dr. Judith Fradkin on March 5, 2012 at 8:15 a.m. ET at. www.jdrf.org/livewebcasts.