Advocating for the Type-1 diabetes awareness in children

GOOD MORNING. IT IS TIME FOR OUR KIDS CARE SEGMENT WHERE WE ARE SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON KIDS WHO ARE DOING GREAT THINGS AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY. I’M JOINED TODAY BY PORTIA, JOY AND PORTIA. YOU’VE BEEN DOING SOME REALLY AMAZING WORK AROUND TYPE ONE DIABETES, ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN THAT HAVE IT. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU GOT INVOLVED IN BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR CHILDREN WHO HAVE TYPE ONE, AND WHERE THAT HAS TAKEN YOU, EVEN JUST WITHIN THE LAST MONTH OR SO? YEAH, SO AFTER I GOT DIAGNOSED, WHICH WAS LIKE SIX YEARS AGO, I WOULD GO TO LIKE BREAKTHROUGH TO EVENTS LIKE THE WALKS. AND THERE WAS A VENDOR THERE TALKING ABOUT BREAKTHROUGH T CHILDREN’S CONGRESS, WHICH IS A GROUP OF KIDS, ABOUT 100 OF US, AND WE ALL HAVE TYPE ONE DIABETES. AND YOU GET SELECTED AND THEY BRING YOU TO WASHINGTON, DC, TO THE. CAPITOL. AND WE ALL GOT TO SIT IN ON AN ACTUAL HEARING AND TALK TO SOME SENATORS. AND I MET JEAN SHAHEEN, AND IT WAS REALLY COOL. THAT’S AMAZING. YEAH. SO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY YOU FEEL THERE’S A NEED FOR MORE AWARENESS AROUND IT AND KIND OF WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A YOUNG PERSON WITH TYPE ONE? YEAH, I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TYPE ONE DIABETES BECAUSE THERE’S TYPE ONE AND TYPE TWO, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE OR ASSUME IT’S JUST ONE DISEASE. BUT BEING ABLE TO TEACH THEM ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES AND HOW TYPE ONE IS A LIFELONG DISEASE THAT YOU HAVE TO HANDLE EVERY DAY IS REALLY, LIKE HELPFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO WHERE DO YOU THINK THE YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU LEARNED IN WASHINGTON? WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT TAKE YOU IN YOUR PATH FORWARD WITH WHAT YOU’RE DOING HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE? I WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE ADVOCATING FOR DIABETES RESEARCH FUNDING, AND I’M REALLY GLAD THAT THE SCP IS GOING TO BE RENEWED. SO WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO MEET WITH OTHER STUDENTS AND CHILDREN AND KIDS YOUR AGE, WHAT WERE SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT THAT MAYBE NO ONE ELSE WOULD UNDERSTAND? AND HOW DID THAT AFFECT YOU? IT WAS REALLY COOL TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THEM ABOUT LIKE OUR LIKE, PUMPS OR CGMS, BECAUSE WE WOULD TALK ABOUT HOW OFTEN THEY LIKE, GET IN THE WAY OR CAN JUST LIKE GET RIPPED OFF AND EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES. AND IT WAS COOL BECAUSE WHEN I HAD TO CHANGE MY PUMP OR CGM IN THE MIDDLE OF. LIKE THE CONFERENCE, EVERYONE WAS JUST USED TO IT AND NO ONE WAS ASKING QUESTIONS OR GIVING ME WEIRD LOOKS. YEAH. SO YOU HAD KIND OF A CAMARADERIE AMONG EVERYONE THERE. SO HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, THERE’S AN EVENT COMING UP. AND WHAT OTHER TYPES OF THINGS ARE YOU LOOKING TO DO WITH THE PROGRAM? I WOULD I’M GONNA PARTICIPATE IN THE BREAKTHROUGH WALK IN OCTOBER AND I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT WHAT DEAN KAMEN IS DOING WITH DIABETES SUPPLIES. AND I’M JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT COMES IN THE FUTURE. HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL WHEN YOU WERE ABLE TO TALK TO PEOPLE THAT WERE DEALING WITH THE SAME THING? AND THEN WHEN YOU SEE MAYBE YOUNGER CHILDREN WHO ARE NEWLY DIAGNOSED? YEAH. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT KIND OF RUN THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU’RE TALKING TO PEOPLE LIKE THAT? I, I FEEL LIKE VERY EXPERIENCED WITH THE DISEASE. SO I LOVE BEING ABLE TO TALK THEM THROUGH THEIR DIAGNOSIS AND ESPECIALLY THE LITTLE KIDS WHEN THEY SEE MY PUMP OR CGM AND THEY SHOW ME THEIRS AND IT MAKES THEM FEEL LIKE. SEEN OR INCLUDED, AND IT’S JUST REALLY NICE. THAT’S AMAZING. WELL, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WORK IN WASHINGTON, DC AND HERE, AND WE WISH YOU LUCK WITH THE WALK. THANK YOU. IF YOU KNOW OF A KID DOING AMAZING THINGS IN THEIR COMMUNITY, PLEASE SHARE WITH US