Saratoga Springs - Eagle Mountain - Lehi - Fairfield - Cedar Fort - Cedar Hills - American Fork - Highland - Alpine
The Crossroads Journal

Eagle Mountain teen chosen for 2017 JDRF children's congress in Washington, D.C.

By Celeste Bingham
Every two years, 150 children from around the world that are living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) gather in Washington, D.C., to meet face-to-face with some of the top decision-makers in the U.S. government. According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation website, the children, ages 4 to 17, represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The delegates in JDRF's Children's Congress enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help Members of Congress understand what life is like with T1D. They speak up on behalf of the millions of people living with T1D and the families and friends who love them.

This year Sydney Glass, 15, from Eagle Mountain, was selected to make the journey to Washington D.C. to speak with congress. Sydney was only three years old when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. To be selected she had to submit an essay to JDRF headquarters and was chosen out of over 1,300 applications to be 1 of 3 Utah delegates. To date, Sydney has raised over $6,000 for JDRF. Her goal this year is to raise $12,000. A thousand dollars for every year she has had T1D. You can go to her Facebook page, The Glass Sneakers, for the story of how she was diagnosed and/or to donate to her goal. All proceeds will go to T1D research.

Sydney will be meeting personally with Representative Mia Love and Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee. When asked what she hopes to accomplish when in D.C. Sydney responded, "I hope to be able to let Congress know what life is truly like with Type 1 Diabetes. It is a difficult and stressful disease to manage, and every day is different from the one before. There is no rhyme or reason or real science on managing my blood sugar and keeping it in a healthy range. I will also be asking for some very specific needs with insurance coverage. T1D is considered a pre-existing condition and we are very concerned about how this will be protected by insurance in the future."

When asked what she wants people to know about T1D, Sydney stated, "I want everyone to know that T1D is an auto-immune disease. It cannot be prevented. I did not get it from eating too much sugar. There is also no cure! It will not go away by eating healthy and exercising. I will be insulin dependent for the rest of my life. T1D's must inject themselves with an insulin shot 4-6 times a day and prick their fingers to check their blood sugar just as often. T1D is mostly diagnosed in infants, children and young adults, but it can happen to anyone, at any age. It comes on very suddenly, and can be fatal if not diagnosed correctly or soon enough."

The community news source for Eagle Mountain Utah, Saratoga Springs Utah, Lehi Utah, American Fork Utah, Highland Utah, Alpine Utah, and The Cedar Valley, including Cedar Fort Utah and Fairfield Utah. Copyright 2024 The Crossroads Journal LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 


Login

Sign in with your Facebook account
      
Sign in with your Crossroads Journal account


Don't have an account?
Register using Facebook Login | Register w/ The Crossroads Journal