Battle Against Diabetes: 11-Year-Old Earns Trip to DC Through Advocacy

During her time there, Shannon also was able to visit several landmarks in the area, as well as speak with Congressman Tom Petri about the cause. 

• Learn more about Shannon's story in this article by Patch when we met with her last year.

Here is Shannon's reflection on her experience:

"I was so excited when I found out that I was going to Washington D.C. My parents said when I got home from school, "Family Meeting!" I thought I was in trouble. Once we all sat down my mom grabbed something off the piano. It was an iced brownie that said in pink frosting "You're going to D.C." I screamed at the wonderful news. I was chosen to be one of 161 delegates (150 from U.S. and 11 international) out of over 2,000 applicants for JDRF Children’s Congress!

Now when we got to D.C. it’s not just fun and games. You’re doing a lot of work and even changing the world. You talk to your senators and representative about why it’s so important that we keep research and the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) funded. There were four delegates from Wisconsin. All four of us met with Senators Johnson and Baldwin. We each had to make a scrapbook showing what our life is like with diabetes, so a few pages from each of us went into the scrapbooks given to the Senators. I met with Congressman Petri from our district. He received my entire scrapbook. We talked about why the SDP is so important, and we discovered that we both love fishing too!

We had a town hall meeting with some celebrities with T1D. They talked about how they deal with it, and some delegates asked questions. I got a chance to meet Mary Mouser (actress), Gary Hall Jr (won 10 Olympic swimming medals), and Jean Smart (actress). All of them were very nice and it was inspiring to see all they have accomplished while dealing with the same disease I have. Ray Allen (NBA player) was there with his son, Walker, who was a delegate like me. Charlie Kimball (race car driver), Sam Talbot (chef), Leslie Adkins (NBC correspondent), and Jeffrey Brewer (CEO of JDRF) were also a part of the meeting.

I met a lot of different kids that battle diabetes everyday just like me. Some on pumps, some on shots, and some also use a cgm (constant glucose monitor). There were kids from every state, even some kids from out of the country or continent. I met kids from Canada, Australia, Denmark and Israel.

We could bring items to exchange with the delegates. I brought along some WI postcards, dairy key chains, Port Washington stickers, and P.W. hard hats. Some of the delegates also handed out pins you could put on your lanyard. Some of the pins were really cool.

When you finished a day of hard work, you got a chance to rest in your hotel room, but all the delegates went swimming the first night. It was awesome! My family went to see the monuments and the Smithsonian American history museum.

But when all the fun was over we went back home. I thought it was a great experience. I will continue my work for JDRF and to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes!

 — Shannon Knowski, 10 years old
Diagnosed at 11 months old.