Age: 17
Age at T1D diagnosis: 6

Reed wants to rewrite the story of T1D—literally. As an aspiring author, Reed blogs about the highs and lows of both blood-sugar levels and life as a teen with T1D. She is also the president of her JDRF chapter’s Youth Ambassadors program, which gives her the opportunity to speak about T1D in her community and raise awareness of the disease. Reed has given interviews for the news and radio and starred in an educational video about T1D.

“People who don’t have a direct connection to T1D sometimes don’t understand the struggles we go through in our day-to-day lives. I never want anyone to go through what I’ve had to go through,” Reed says. “I can’t change what’s happened to me in the past, but I can work to make a better future.”

http://youtu.be/_hwHWmyOpNY