Age: 12
Age at T1D diagnosis: 6

Ryleigh may live with T1D, but it doesn’t slow her down! She is a competitive swimmer who also enjoys bike riding, crafting, and spending time with her Goldendoodle, Josie. Her favorite subjects are math and science, and she hopes to turn this passion into a career as a biomedical engineer or diabetes nurse educator. She hopes to create new diabetes technology or help others learn how to use this technology. As the third person in her family with T1D, she knows how important this is!

Ryleigh’s first trip to Washington, DC, was with her family to advocate for heart defect research in support of her little sister. She didn’t know that just a few years later, she would face her own diagnosis and have an opportunity to advocate for her own community! She doesn’t miss an opportunity to discuss T1D and why a cure is so important. Her family participated in the Breakthrough T1D Together We Can (formerly Promise to Remember Me) campaign, joined the TrialNet study, and is involved in diabetes activities in her local community. She looks forward to sharing her own story with Congress!