WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two children from Maine were chosen by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, to join a delegation of their peers and celebrity advocates in Washington, D.C., this summer at JDRF 2019 Children’s Congress from Monday to Wednesday, July 8 to 10. Ruby Anderson, 9, and Lydia Bryant, 9 will join more than 160 other children from around the U.S. to lobby their members of Congress and remind them of the vital need to support T1D research that could reduce the burden of this disease and ultimately find a cure.

The children — ages 4 to 17 and representing all 50 states — will participate in a number of activities on the Hill, including a Congressional Committee hearing to share personal testimonies that highlight the challenges of living with T1D and the need for continued funding for research projects such as the Special Diabetes Program.

Joining the U.S. Delegates will be five International Delegates traveling from Australia, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The delegates will convey to the Federal Government that T1D is a global problem that requires a global effort.

Lydia is ready to go to Children’s Congress this year to tell her members of Congress, “T1D research is important so no one has to go through this.”

Ruby is ready for D.C. because, as she says, “I want to be a part of Children’s Congress to help everyone with diabetes!”

Serving as chair for JDRF 2019 Children’s Congress will be Katama Eastman of New York, New York, whose 15-year-old daughter, Merrill, was diagnosed with T1D at 15 months. Eastman is board president of the JDRF New York City/Long Island Chapter.

To learn more about the Children’s Congress, visit http://cc.jdrf.org/. For more information on JDRF, visit jdrf.org or follow on Twitter.