Age: 17
Age at T1D diagnosis: 12

Grace participated in a JDRF Walk about 10 years before she was even diagnosed with T1D—she walked to support her brother, who was diagnosed first. “We were the first members of our family to have type 1 diabetes, so it was a huge adjustment for all of us,” she says.” Grace plans to help mentor other kids with T1D at Camp Conrad–Chinnock this summer, volunteers with the JDRF Gala and has interned in the JDRF Los Angeles Chapter. A talented singer and actress, she has even depicted someone living with the disease on her school’s stage as Shelby in Steel Magnolias. “I strived to accurately portray her disease in the play,” she says. “It was important for the audience to understand those symptoms more accurately than they were portrayed in the movie.”

READ GRACE’S LATEST NEWS:

Vistamar student fights for funds for Type 1 diabetes research