Caden's Application to Children's Congress 2011

What is Children's Congress?

Every two years, JDRF International Chairman Mary Tyler Moore and over a hundred children with type 1 diabetes gather in Washington, D. C. to meet face-to-face with some of the top decision-makers in the U.S. government. The children, ages 4 to 17, represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As participants in JDRF's Children's Congress, they have a unique and empowering opportunity to help Members of Congress understand what life with type 1 diabetes is like and why research to find the cure for diabetes and its complications is so critical.

Children's Congress will take place on June 20-22, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

Caden (with help from Mom) sent in a his application yesterday. He won't find out until early 2011 if he is selected. Here is his letter.

Dear Member of Congress:
Hello. My name is Caden and I am 9 years old. I have had Type I diabetes for over 7 years, as I was diagnosed with diabetes before I turned 2 years old. I have a 5 year old brother, Preston, and a 3 year old sister, Avery. They are really lucky because they don’t have diabetes like I do. They get to eat more desserts than I get to, and sometimes I don’t mind. But, sometimes I do mind and it feels unfair.

When I got diabetes, my parents said I started to lose weight, was drinking way too much and my diapers kept falling onto the ground. My mom took me to the doctor and they sent me straight to the hospital. My mom said the doctor was crying when she said I had Type I diabetes. I don’t remember being diagnosed, or spending the night in the hospital, but I do know my mom said she was very scared. I am lucky because my mom is a dietitian and she knows a lot about how to take care of me. I am also very lucky because this year a new student started at my school with Type I diabetes and we get to walk the nurse’s office together. We also get to sit together in class and we play together after school. I don’t remember what life was like without diabetes but I am sure it was a lot of fun not having to worry about my blood sugar levels all day. Sometimes I get really mad and sad at the same time because it’s not fair that I have diabetes and almost all my friends don’t. I don’t get to go to sleepovers and I need to visit the school nurse 2-3 times a day. Sometimes I miss out on important things in class if I don’t feel well.

My life is different than most kids my age. I check my blood sugar every few hours and sometimes I don’t feel well if my sugar goes too low or too high. This summer when we were out of town, my pump broke. Then my mom accidentally gave me too much insulin in a shot and 911 was called. The ambulance crew came but I was fine. I got to drink a lot of juice and the crew gave me a fire truck Silly Band! I was really scared and my mom looked really panicked and she was crying and running around in circles. This made me even more scared and my stomach started to hurt really bad. It all turned out ok. I do wear an insulin pump but sometimes it doesn’t work right and it’s not the same as a cure. Sometimes kids ask me how I got diabetes and if I ate too much candy or junk food. They don’t understand that Type I diabetes is out of my control and I didn’t do anything to get it. It’s hard to explain to other kids how I got diabetes because I don’t really understand how or why I got it either.

I have tried each year to raise money for a Cure for Diabetes. The first walk I completed was in 2004, when I was two years old and I raised more than $5000. My school raises a lot of money for diabetes every year and I always walk with my class around our school track to help raise money for kids to attend diabetes camps. I have gone to a diabetes camp every summer for the past four summers. It’s my favorite camp because everyone there is just like me. And the doctors make us really great food which is all nutritious. Plus, we swim, climb a rock wall, and make kites.

A cure needs to be found for Type I diabetes. I have had it my whole life and I might have health problems that come from having diabetes for so many years. I am scared about that. I would love to live part of my life not attached to a pump and know what it’s like to be free of diabetes. I hope you’ll read my story and do what you can to help find a CURE for kids like me. I am a really well-behaved boy, and I love school. I try my hardest every day to do my best at whatever it is I am doing. Someday I want to be a marine biologist or a professional soccer player. I deserve a CURE. I deserve a chance to be just like everyone else!

Thank you, Ms. Congressman, for reading my story and doing everything you can to help find a cure for me and others who have diabetes.