Joined Other Children and Celebrity Role Models for Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience on Capitol Hill
Jackson Blair, 7, Madeleine Redmond, 10, Claire Haslett, 11 and Grace Walker, 17, of the Greater Los Angeles area, shared an once-in-a-lifetime experience last week. They lobbied Congress urging for continued federal government support for research that aims to reduce the burden of the disease they have all live with – type 1 diabetes (T1D) – until a cure becomes available.
Jackson, Madeleine, Claire and Grace were among more than 150 children – ages 4 to 17, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia – who visited the nation’s capital as delegates at JDRF 2015 Children’s Congress, held July 13-15. They were chosen through the JDRF Los Angeles Chapter from a pool of more than 1,500 applicants nationwide to represent California at this biennial event.
JDRF Children’s Congress, the largest grassroots event held in support of research for T1D, culminated with a congressional committee hearing on July 15, which included testimony from selected delegates. The focus of these personal testimonies was to draw attention to the daily struggles of those living with the disease and the need for maintained support for funding research that brings us closer to a world without T1D.
In addition to the hearing, the delegates took part in a Town Hall, where they had the opportunity to learn and interact with T1D role models, including singer/songwriter Este Haim, who explained how her family helps her manage her T1D while she is on the road and performing on stage with her band Haim, professional snowboarder Sean Busby, actor Austin Bases and pro football player Brandon Denson.
JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF’s goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until we achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, policy influence and a working plan to bring life-changing therapies from the lab to the community. As the largest charitable supporter of T1D research, JDRF has invested nearly $2 billion in research over the past 45 years and is sponsoring scientific research in 17 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.jdrf.org.