FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – A 10-year-old girl from Floyd County is back home after advocating for Type 1 diabetes research funding in Washington, D.C.
Jamie Deremer was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago.
"Diabetes isn't really like a life-changing thing, well it is, but just a little bit," Deremer said.
She's decided to see the positive in her disease by using it to empower others. Now, she's taking that to a whole new level.
"We got to go to Congress on Capitol Hill," Deremer said. "We were kind of intimidating to the people we were talking to. It wasn't like they were intimidating us. It was like we're intimidating them."
Deremer was one of 165 JDRF Children’s Congress representatives last week, telling lawmakers why they should support funding for her disease.
"We would tell them a personal story and we would talk about the Special Diabetes Program, that we want it renewed for five years,” Deremer said.
The Special Diabetes Program has changed the lives of people like Deremer, funding huge advancements in research and technology. It's set to expire at the end of September.
"Why is it important? Because we need this lifesaving stuff," Deremer said.
She met one-on-one with Rep. Morgan Griffith and joined other child delegates in a Senate committee hearing.
"She can make a name for herself even if she has a life-altering disease," Jamie's sister, Danielle Deremer, said.
Jamie said she’s not just fighting for funding to make life easier for her, but for millions of Type 1 diabetics, advocating for change that will hopefully one day lead to a cure.