DES MOINES, Iowa — Two teenagers from Iowa joined youth from across the world at the Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress in Washington, D.C. this weekend.

Every two years, the Children’s Congress brings youth from across the world to Washington D.C. to share their Type 1 diabetes stories with Federal lawmakers. This year, the delegates are visiting from June 7 -9 and represent Breakthrough T1D groups across all 50 states, Australia, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

The youth will act as delegates who share their stories and the stories of others, while engaging in leadership and advocating for continued research funding. This year, two delegates from Iowa, Elizabeth and Sachin, are sharing their stories.

Elizabeth, 17, is from Adel and was diagnosed with T1D at 14 years old, just days before the Super Bowl. She says seeing Noah Grey on the field reminded her that she could do anything. Elizabeth has built a T1D community through sharing tips and tricks, and hopes it helps others feel less alone. Elizabeth enjoys connecting with the community through her job and volunteering, she hopes to open her own business in the future.

Sachin, 13, was diagnosed with T1D at 10 and loves everything engineering. Sachin enjoys making fun inventions that bring laughter, and practical ones like a new kind of insulin pump he designed for his recent science fair project. Since his diagnosis, Sachin has attended walks, galas, and summits to support Breakthrough T1D and learn about exciting new technology that could help those living with Type 1 diabetes.

Visit the Breakthrough T1D website to learn more about the Children’s Congress and the 170 delegates.