Leigh Ann Hopkins represents JDRF Advocacy in Western Pennsylvania. Her connection to type 1 diabetes (T1D) is her eighteen-year-old son, Dan, who was diagnosed eight years ago. She became involved with JDRF after her son decided he wanted to start a Walk team. “The overwhelming support he/we felt from that event made JDRF very near and dear to our hearts,” she said. From there, she and Dan participated in a Promise to Remember Me meeting and Dan was accepted to be a Children’s Congress delegate in 2009.

Children’s Congress was Leigh’s favorite JDRF Advocacy event because she saw the strength of JDRF. “When we arrived in D.C. and saw just how huge of an organization we had become involved with, I was truly amazed,” Leigh said. “For Dan, it was life changing. It was the first time he was in a group where he was ‘normal’ and I was the one that seemed ‘different.’”

Leigh’s proudest moment was winning the “Rookie of the Year” award in 2010, recognizing her advocacy efforts. The impact she made in her first year shows how easy it is to participate in JDRF Advocacy. “Do not be intimidated,” Leigh said. “So many times I hear, ‘I could never go and talk to a Congressman/Senator.’ Yes, you can…I promise, once you get in to their office and start talking about T1D, your passion for a cure takes over and you are able to advocate like you never imagined you could!”

The most challenging part of JDRF Advocacy, Leigh said, is convincing Members of Congress who do not understand T1D how important it is to fund research and progress. She explained that some politicians do not understand the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and do not understand the progress the T1D community has made, which can be frustrating. At the same time, Leigh said the rewards of JDRF outweigh the challenges. “When Dan was diagnosed I was absolutely devastated, almost paralyzed,” Leigh said. “I could not imagine how this happened and then, being his mom, how I could make it better. Advocating was (and still is) my way of making it better. I was fighting my best fight for my son and I could never have felt that sense of accomplishment had it not been for JDRF.

To sum up her experience in just six words: JDRF has given my voice meaning.