Olivia Talalay was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was eight.
At 15, she was one of 170 children from across the world who were able to travel to Washington, D.C., to advocate for policies related to the disease, such as the renewal of the Special Diabetes Program and advancement of cell therapy clinical trials.
“It’s just about really pushing for a cure and to make type one diabetes more visible for people because a lot of people really don’t know what type one diabetes is,” Talalay said.
Talalay, who lives in Plainview, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in third grade. She had rapid weight loss, extreme thirst and fatigue. After her diagnosis, she spent several days learning to count carbohydrates and administer insulin and prick her finger multiple times a day to test her glucose levels.
After her diagnosis, Talalay and her family immediately joined Breakthrough T1D, a leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization. She became an ambassador for the organization, volunteering and fundraising.
Talalay was then selected as one of seven people from the area, and one of 170 delegates to go to Washington, D.C. from July 7 to July 9 to advocate for type 1 diabetes research
Other delegates came from Australia, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
While in the nation’s capital, the children met with members of Congress, highlighting the need to renew the Special Diabetes Program. They also attended interactive sessions with T1D role models, including designers, athletes, and media figures, and engaged in leadership training and team-building activities.
Talalay said it’s important for delegates like herself to have been a part of the program.
“It feels really good because I know that so many kids will benefit from this,” Talalay said.
Breakthrough T1D said the Children’s Congress program was inspired by a boy from Massachusetts who asked his mother, “Why can’t kids go to Washington and tell their representatives about what it’s like to have type 1 diabetes and let them know that we want scientists to find a cure?”
The program has sent over 1,000 kids to the country’s capital since 1999 to advocate for continued research into type 1 diabetes.
“Every day, these youth and their parents face the burden of type 1 diabetes, and by sharing their stories, they become powerful advocates in the fight to end this disease,” Greater New York Metro Chapter Associate Executive Director Kelly Borzell said. “Children’s Congress empowers youth living with type 1 diabetes to speak with a unified voice to urge Federal leaders to support the entire T1D community.”
Talalay said that advocacy has led to strides in the search for a cure to type 1 diabetes.
“It’s not really what if we find a cure, it’s when,” she said.”We’re right around the corner.”
