Local Youth Advocates on Capitol Hill

At the young age of 12, Hannah McCrary of Lexington is an experienced advocate for JDRF.  She has been attending New Member of Congress and Promise To Remember Me meetings with SC Members of Congress since being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 5 years ago on August 21, 2008. 

These in-district meetings are an opportunity for Hannah to share her T1D diagnosis story and how living with a chronic disease affects her life. Each time Hannah meets with her elected officials she asks for their continued support of legislation involving diabetes research and advancements. She fully understands that she has a voice and it matters.  She also understands that at the end of the day, members of Congress only know what’s important to their constituents if we tell them.

Hannah didn’t choose diabetes, the autoimmune disease chose her.  Through no fault of her own, an unknown trigger caused her pancreas to stop making insulin. Until a cure is found, she depends on life-saving insulin via pump therapy.  While T1D is a challenging disease, Hannah does not allow it to hold her back or make her too terribly different from her friends.  Hannah, a rising 7th grader at Lexington Middle School chooses to use her diabetes diagnosis to make a difference for herself and the many others living with the disease. 

Hannah recently returned from participating in JDRF Children’s Congress 2013 in Washington, DC along with 160 delegates from around the US and 6 international countries.  She is one of three SC delegates chosen from over 1500 applicants living with Type 1 Diabetes between the ages of 4-17 years to participate in this bi-annual event. 

Hannah and her mom, Beth McCrary flew to our nation’s capital on July 8th along with Justin Schur and his parents Brad and Lori of Simpsonville.  Ethan Morse and his mom LeAnne of Fort Mill met up with the SC delegates in Washington.   Hannah, Justin and Ethan spent 3 action-packed and fun-filled days getting to know the other delegates, performing the Promise To Remember Me song with Crystal Bowersox of American Idol fame, and preparing for their Hill Blitz on Wednesday. 

Along with having fun with their peers that understand the unique challenges of living with T1D, the main purpose of Children’s Congress is to remind Members of Congress of the vital need to continue supporting research that aims to reduce the burden of living with T1D until a cure becomes available.   The delegates and their parents spent time in Hill Blitz training on Tuesday to prepare for meeting with their members of Congress.  They were taught how to conduct a Hill visit and briefed on the Special Diabetes Program. Other highlights of day two included participating in a Town Hall with celebrity advocates that included Dr. Aaron Kowalski of JDRF, chef Sam Talbot, journalist Leslie Adkins, race car driver Charlie Kimball and actress Mary Mouser.  All are living with Type 1 Diabetes and graciously fielded questions from the delegates about how they cope with the demands of living with T1D. 

The third and final day of Children’s Congress was spent on Capitol Hill.  All of the delegates were bussed from the JW Marriott to the Capitol Complex to complete their visits before a 1:00 pm photo shoot with the celebrity advocates and a surprise guest! Hannah met with Representative Joe Wilson, Justin met with Representative Trey Gowdy and Ethan met with Representative Mick Mulvaney.  All three met together with Senator Tim Scott and Senator Lindsey Graham’s legislative aides, Taylor Andreae and Spencer Williams.  They used scrapbooks to share their stories and explain the dire need to continue funding the Special Diabetes Program.  The SDP along with JDRF currently funds research that provides prevention and treatment therapies that are improving the lives of people living with diabetes. 

The 3 SC delegates reported to the atrium of the Hart Senate building to line up for the photo shoot with all of the other delegates, celebrity advocates and JDRF officials.  After waiting for over an hour for their surprise guest, the delegates were not disappointed.  Vice President Joe Biden profusely apologized for being tied up in a meeting with President Obama.  He shared encouraging words with the delegates and commended them for their courage and bravery while dealing with a chronic disease. 

Hannah received a special treat to be escorted to meet and get a photo with VP Biden by his personal assistant Fran Person.  Fran is a family friend and former Gamecock football player. 

The amazing day ended with a special Senate Hearing before the Commission on Aging to raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes and secure national media coverage.  All of the delegates sat in the well of the Senate Chambers while testimony was given by actress Jean Smart, NBA player Ray Allen of the Miami Heat along with his son Walker, JDRF CEO Jeffrey Brewer, Dr. Griffin Rodgers of the NIH and Maine delegate Quinn Ferguson.  Each one testifying gave compelling testimony about the seriousness of living with Type 1 Diabetes and why Congress must keep partnering with JDRF to put an end to diabetes. 

Hannah and her family are passionate about raising awareness of Type 1 Diabetes and the funds to find a cure.  They invite you to join their efforts to create a world without Type 1 Diabetes by registering to be an advocate at www.jdrf.org/advocacy and getting involved with the local JDRF Palmetto Chapter.  For more information, please contact Dana Bruce, Executive Director or Beth McCrary, Advocacy Team Chair at 782-1477. 

To learn more about Children’s Congress, visit:

http://cc.jdrf.org/about-jdrf-childrens-congress/

To view SC delegates profiles, visit;

http://cc.jdrf.org/delegate-locations/south-carolina/