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Emerald Hills resident Everett Meyer will join 170 young people from across the country to advocate for the Type 1 diabetes community in Washington, D.C., from July 7 to 9.
Breakthrough T1D, a Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization, chose Everett, 14, an incoming sophomore at Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park, to join a delegation of fellow youth with the autoimmune disease at Breakthrough T1D 2025 Children’s Congress. The event will include a Senate hearing with testimonies highlighting the challenges of living with the disease and the need for continued federal funding through the Special Diabetes Program, according to a press release.
“I’m hoping to sway some minds and continue the push towards funding for research for a cure, medical research and renewal of some bills that benefit Type 1 diabetes,” he said. “Funding toward T1D is important because human lives matter. … The science needs to be funded.”
In March 2025, the Trump administration slashed funding for a 30-year-long study tracking patients with prediabetes and diabetes through the National Institutes of Health, much to the dismay of groups like the American Diabetes Association.
Type 1 diabetes impacts nearly 9.5 million people worldwide and causes the pancreas to make very little insulin or none at all, according to a July 2025 publication. This leads to dependence on insulin therapy. Complications include blood sugar highs and lows, and damage to the kidneys, eyes, nerves, and heart.
Everett was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2014 when he was nearly 4. A pre-K teacher had noticed he had to go to the bathroom frequently and was drinking a lot more water.
“I did not know anybody who had it so it was quite a shock,” said Everett’s mother, Jennifer Meyer. “There were lots of lifestyle changes. For three months straight, we had to get up at midnight and 3 a.m. to check his blood sugar levels; insurance wouldn’t allow us to have a pump until we could prove he had Type 1 diabetes.”
The majority of diabetes cases are Type 2 (38 million in the United States), which tends to be more associated with a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors; it is most common in adults over 45 but more youth have been diagnosed with the disease in recent years.
Type 1 diabetes is commonly thought to just be a disease that is onset as a child, but adult diagnoses account for almost 50% of all Type 1 diabetes cases, according to Breakthrough T1D. Everett’s grandmother was actually diagnosed with Type 1 at the age of 70. The onset of Type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle, Breakthrough T1D noted in the press release. Scientists believe that both genetics and environmental triggers play a role in causing the disease.
“It’s definitely not fun,” Everett said of living with his disease. “It’s troublesome especially when there’s times I can or can’t eat. There’s times I forget to dose and am reminded by my parents.”
Everett has been active in the Type 1 diabetes community for years. He was part of a 2-year-long clinical trial at Stanford University to test the 780G Medtronic insulin pump. The device tracks glucose levels and can automatically deliver insulin.
“I learned a lot about the mechanics and tech,” he said of the trial. “Aside from all the blood draws it was pretty fun to meet with people. … Until there’s a cure, it’s better to alleviate the stress every day.”
How the Children’s Congress started
The Children’s Congress began in 1999 after a 9-year-old Massachusetts boy asked his mother, “Why can’t kids go to Washington and tell their representatives about what it’s like to have Type 1 diabetes and let them know that we want scientists to find a cure?”
Since then, more than 1,000 kids with Type 1 diabetes have served as delegates at the event. They have helped secure government funding for research and raise awareness about the disease, according to Breakthrough T1D. Each year, there are also surprise celebrity guests (like Nick Jonas, who has Type 1 diabetes, in 2009).
To learn more about the event, go to cc.breakthrought1d.org.
