How long have you been involved in diabetes advocacy? How did you get started?
     I became a diabetes advocate almost four years ago. It took me a few months after I was diagnosed to get involved, because I was unsure how diabetes fit into my life and if I would be "labeled". One day, I realized how silly I was being and that I could help others with diabetes a lot more by speaking up! I started volunteering with the American Diabetes Association for America's Walk for Diabetes as a captain for my walk team, the Walkie-Talkies, and went on from there.

How did you get involved with the International Diabetes Federation's Youth Ambassadors? What do you do as an Ambassador?
     I found out about the International Diabetes Federation's plans to create a group of 25 youth ambassadors worldwide through the ADA, who nominated me. (Each major association in the IDF and a few others were able to nominate one advocate). As a Youth Ambassador, I work on many projects with the IDF and other organizations. One such project was the UN Resolution for a World Diabetes Day, which passed this December! I also work on issues here in the United States and cooperate with the other ambassadors to brainstorm solutions to problems in their parts of the world, and vice versa.

What did you do while you were in South Africa last December?
     I attend the World Diabetes Congress in Cape Town, South Africa this past December. I was able to attend many of the sessions about current studies in various aspects of diabetes, listen to speakers talk about their experiences with diabetes (whether it is through a patient or doctor perspective), and speak one-on-one with the top diabetes specialists in the world. It was an incredible experience! I also had the opportunity to speak at a press conference where I helped launch the "flying blue circles" campaign on behalf of the IDF. You can read more about the campaign at www.unitefordiabetes.org. I also participated in a youth leadership workshop with the other youth ambassadors prior to the Congress.

What were the conclusions of the youth leadership meeting?
     The conclusions of our meeting were quite interesting, considering we all came from different parts of the world with different perspectives on the diabetes problem. We ranged in ages 18 to 25 (I was the youngest (18)) and had different careers and occupations and different experiences with diabetes. For example, some ambassadors told stories of not being able to test their blood sugar every day, because of the scarcity of supplies and high cost, while other ambassadors had continuous glucose monitoring systems and (like myself) insulin pumps. A lot of the conclusions stemmed from basic problems such as non-supportive governments and the high cost of supplies to adequately treat diabetes. Something as simple as getting supplies to people with diabetes seemed to be one of the biggest problems around the world! A basic conclusion is that we need to take action immediately to act on these problems that we have identified.

What was it like being around so many international young adults with diabetes?
     Although I know other young adults with diabetes, nothing is as inspiring as meeting young adults from other areas of the world where they have struggled through insurmountable odds to take care of their diabetes and get the supplies they need. It was an eye-opening experience to be able to talk with everyone and see how they react to their diabetes. It was also very inspiring and educational for me, since I am 18 and a freshman in college, to see how they are coping with being a young adult in the working world with diabetes.

What are you personally working on now that you are back in the U.S.?
     One of the things I am working on is to spread the news about the UN Resolution and how November 14 is now the UN World Diabetes Day. I am trying to increase basic education and awareness about diabetes as nearly every day I run into one or two people who maintain stereotypes against people with diabetes and myths about the disease ("You can't eat that, it has sugar in it").

While you were the National Youth Advocate for the ADA, what were the most common issues you heard from teens? What advice did you give?
     Most of the common issues I heard is that they were having a hard time juggling diabetes (with counting carbs, shots or pump, testing, pressure, etc.) with everything else going on in their life. This is one thing that I completely understand! Diabetes can get overwhelming at times, so it is really important to have a good "support system"- this can mean your healthcare team, a support group, friends, family, etc. I believe that it is important to have people supporting you but also know that you're still you, and in spite of the diabetes you're living as 'normal' a life as any other teenager!

How did you prepare for moving away from home when you started college? How involved are your parents now?
     Moving your clothes, laptop, and life into a dorm room is usually pretty difficult, but then I added glucagon, insulin, and other supplies- makes for a pretty crowded room! I think it is important to have a strong hold on your diabetes and an idea on how you deal with it before moving to college. I have always been a pretty independent person and have been responsible for most of my diabetes care since diagnosis. I let my mom order supplies, but other than being great support and being there for me when I have questions or want a second opinion, my parents don't 'baby me' and watch me punch buttons on my pump. Because I trust myself and they trust me after having seen me take care of my diabetes for a few years now, we all felt comfortable when I went to college, which I believe is the main reason I have had no problems!
     (My parents, of course, still get the occasional midnight phone call with me grumbling about a high blood sugar, or a grumpy "I'm low" mutter in the morning!)

You were recently featured in your local paper for making changes to the dining hall. Can you tell me about that?
     I am studying at the University of Alabama, which has about 24,000 students and several crowded dining facilities. With a busy class schedule, it is already difficult trying to find time to run to a dining hall and grab a meal then back to meetings, classes, or group projects. One thing I noticed is that I had a hard time keeping my blood sugars stable after meals, meaning I was giving myself too much or too little insulin. This did not surprise me, because I always seemed to be guessing the amount of carbs in what I was eating, which varied with the rotating food schedule!
     Since there was no nutrition information in the dining hall, I started emailing the university food providers, requesting information. They put some information online, but it was hard to memorize carb information for each serving of a dish, go into the dining hall, and eat exactly what I had planned! (Remember, lots of students on campus = busy crowded long food lines!) I continued emailing the dining services and explained numerous times that this had a huge impact on the student body, their customers, as nutrition information not only helps people with diabetes but other students who care about what they eat and those eager to avoid the "Freshman 15".
     Finally, with the help of a few newspapers in different parts of the state, the dining services posted nutrition information in the main dining facility in the student center a few weeks ago!

What are your plans for the future?
     In regards to the nutrition issue, I am working on getting the rest of the facilities on campus to provide nutrition information, which hopefully will spread to other campuses in the state. As a diabetes advocate, I plan for a cure. But in the mean time will settle for spreading more education and getting more volunteers and advocates involved!

Why do you think it's important for teens to be involved in diabetes advocacy?
     It is important to be involved in diabetes advocacy because it has such an incredible impact! Whether by writing a letter to a legislator, being a reference to the media about the disease, speaking to your school, or giving basic education seminars, any of these actions has an impact on someone who could in turn spread the word or make a decision to increase funding in research for a cure. Every little bit matters, and every advocate is important to the cause! Teens are especially unique because we have different perspectives from the adult with diabetes, or the parent and child with diabetes. Teens can understand the experiences of youth with diabetes and relate it in a clear way to those with no personal experience with diabetes.

What are three pieces of advice you would give to a newly diagnosed teen?
     1. Don't worry about how diabetes will affect the rest of your life. Hopefully, there will be a cure in the near future. In the mean time, you will learn how to do the daily diabetes routine and it will become as natural as brushing your teeth and putting on socks and shoes every morning!
     2. Don't be afraid to ask for help. It can be scary, but not knowing an answer to your question is even scarier or could harm you. Ask your doctor and health care team your questions and share your concerns. Also, know that you are not alone- there are so many other teens right now who are going through the same thing!
     3. Enjoy life! You're still the same person before you were diagnosed with diabetes, and nothing has changed dramatically. If anything, you'll learn more about your body and living a healthy life that will benefit many others if you share your knowledge. You can still follow your dreams, even if you take a slightly different path! Don't let diabetes stop you from getting there, and don't let anyone tell you that diabetes keeps you from doing something!

Who is your inspiration?
     My parents are an incredible inspiration to me. They always encourage me, provoke me, and are there for me whenever I need them (I think I mentioned that midnight wake-up call!). They have always been so supportive of my dreams and have helped me achieve so much. I honestly can say I would not be where I am today (extremely happy in life) without them!
     Additionally, everybody I meet tends to inspire me. There is something about each person in this world who has a special quality that stands out, an obstacle overcome, or a struggle they have put behind them, that makes them amazing. It awes me to learn from everyone and inspires me to do my best!