Children's Congress 2009

Every other year, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation chooses one hundred and fifty children with Type I diabetes to meet in Washington DC to share their stories with members of Congress.  This unique event, called Children's Congress, is a special opportunity for kids of all ages from all over the country and the world to unite in the shared experience of having diabetes and one message, the desperate need for a cure. 

This year, Children's Congress 2009 was held June 22-June 24.  The event included a visit with President Barack Obama at the White House, a Town Hall panel of athletes and celebrities impacted by diabetes, individual visits for each kid delegate with their senators and representatives, and the Senate hearing.  There was an impressive list of celebrity attendees, including JDRF's International Chairman, Mary Tyler Moore, retired boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, and Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers.

In his testimony before Congress, Nick Jonas requested federal funding for diabetes research and reminded the members of Congress about the urgent need for a cure for a disease he lives with every day.  Jonas, who was diagnosed when he was thirteen years old, stated that, "While technology has made it much easier for me to manage my diabetes, technology is not a cure.  Insulin is not a cure.  Like everyone here today, I know that the promise of a cure lies only in research."  Sharing the lyrics his song about struggling with diabetes, called "A Little Bit Longer," Jonas said, "With the help of Congress, I'll only have to wait a little bit longer for a cure... My life depends on it.  All our lives depend on it."

As a member of the Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum group The Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas' testimony was undoubtedly influential.  According to People.com, dozens of cameras were waiting and teenage girls filled the seats, even lining the back wall, to get a glimpse of Jonas," and "one woman fainted during his speech."  However, his message was not so unique; his words could have been the words of any young person living with juvenile diabetes.  Children's Congress empowers any delegate, famous or not, to share his or her story with the people that will influence his or her future.  I attended Children's Congress 2005, and the experience was one that I will never forget.  You definitely do not have to be famous to get your voice heard!  Having diabetes essentially gives us a cause to be passionate about and the drive to work for a positive change.