Age: 13
Age at T1D diagnosis: 5

Shelby was diagnosed with T1D when she was five, but she’s long been familiar with T1D. Her grandmother and father have the disease, too. Shelby draws hope from her grandma’s attitude. “She is a fighter, and has passed that on to my father and me.” Shelby plays basketball and volleyball. She plays flute in the school band, is learning how to play the saxophone, and serves in her school’s student government. When she grows up, Shelby would like to work with engines and machines, because, as she says, “I am very interested in how things run.” Shelby is attending JDRF Children’s Congress to push for a cure. “If we had a cure, life would be easier for everyone who has T1D, and their families.”