Recently I asked past Children’s Congress families to share their experience about the time they spent in Washington for the event. Below is what Maureen, an avid advocate for a cure, had to say about the event. If you’re still thinking about applying, I hope Maureen and her daughter’s experience will help make your decision.

You can apply either on the CC website or you can apply via our Facebook app, but be sure to do it before October 4, 2010!

My daughter Samantha attended Children’s Congress in 2009. She was 16 and it was her second attempt at applying.

It was an amazing experience for Samantha. She has done many Promise Campaign meetings but really seeing how it’s applied in Washington made a big difference! She was really impacted by the meeting she had with one of Senator Ted Kennedy’s staffers who has both diabetes and celiac just like Sam. She felt that the staffer really understood her issues and was going to do something about it. Sam walked out of there deciding she was going to be a legislative aide. She was also impressed that Representative Barney Frank’s health aide, Diego Sanchez. Diego remembered her and not only agreed to help with whatever legislation she needed help with but he also told her if she has any problems when she’s off at college this year to call him directly and he’d get her whatever help she needed.     

Getting to know and developing relationships with the other delegates from our state was also very rewarding. Being one of the older kids she spent time helping out and mentoring some of the younger ones. It was really cute to see one of the younger girls from our state really attach herself to Sam! You could see the younger kids feel less “alone” with diabetes when the older, “cooler”, kids also had to check their blood sugar at dinner. Sam was a counselor at Joslin Boys diabetes camp this summer and one of the other delegates from our state was a camper there so she got to reconnect with him there.

Finally, although Nick Jonas was a big hit with many kids, Sam was most impressed by going to the White House and getting to take a picture with the President. What an amazing opportunity!

Maureen from Massachusetts