by Delilah Marrocco, age 10

I was so excited to be chosen to go to Washington D.C. this year for JDRF’s Children’s Congress. I had never met a Congress member before and I had never been to Washington D.C. before either.

When we got to the hotel, there was a delegate social hour. I met so many people from different states (and countries) who also had diabetes. Everyone was very nice.  I plan to write to some of them too.

On July 15, We got up very early, ate breakfast together and headed out on the buses.  It was already hot outside.  We did a lot of walking.

I thought it was very interesting to see the buildings on Capitol Hill. We all wore matching blue shirts. It felt good walking up there with the other delegates knowing that all these people know what I go through every day.  Throughout the day, I never felt alone when I spotted someone in blue.

We went to Senator Feinstein’s office and met with her aide and then we took a photo with Senator Boxer.  Finally, I got to meet Representative Jared Huffman personally and talk to him by myself about what it means to have diabetes.  He was very nice and he really listened to me.

We were there to thank the Congress members for supporting the special diabetes program and also to ask for their support getting CGMs for Medicare patients.  I showed several people my CGM and explained how it worked and how much it helps me manage my diabetes.  Everyone was very interested.

When I wasn’t working on Children’s Congress, I got to see the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, Natural History Museum, the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, the World War 2 Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the International Spy Museum, the Washington Monument and the National Archives. I just wish we had more time. There is so much to see.

Traveling across the country to go to Capitol Hill and speak to Congress members was a great experience that I’ll never forget. Thank you to Congress for listening and thank you to JDRF for making it possible.