Oak Park High School student Michelle Smolarski and other children with Type 1 diabetes converged on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., last week in an effort to convince Congress that more funding is needed to find better treatments and a cure for the chronic disease.

Michelle was chosen as a delegate for the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at the Children’s Congress because of her advocacy work with the foundation. She and other children spoke to lawmakers about the challenges of living with Type 1 diabetes.

Michelle met with U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Camarillo). “He was really receptive to seeking more funding for research, especially for (the development) of an artificial pancreas,” she said.

An artificial pancreas is an external device that would connect a pump to a sensor for automatic delivery of insulin based on the individual needs of the diabetic. The device would alleviate much of the stress in managing the disease, Michelle said.

Gallegly assured the delegation that he would support funding for juvenile diabetes research and agreed to make a statement.

“We were also excited to learn about the possibilities of regenerative medicine research from Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases,” said Teri Smolarski, Michelle’s mother, who joined her on the trip.

Michelle also met with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina justice on the U. S. Supreme Court. Sotomayor has managed Type 1 diabetes for years.

“Just to hear her story—it was amazing,” Michelle said.

Michelle, 17, explained the difference between Type 1, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, and Type 2 diabetes.

“Most people who have Type 1 diabetes have no history of the disease in their family,” Michelle said. “It can happen to anyone. “It has nothing to do with being overweight, not eating right or not having exercise—and you can’t treat it by taking a pill. It’s much more complicated than that.”

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic, debilitating autoimmune disease affecting every organ system. It strikes children and adults suddenly and lasts a lifetime.

Type 1 diabetes causes a person’s pancreas to stop producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. People with Type 1 diabetes must take multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump in order to survive.

Taking insulin does not cure any type of diabetes nor prevent the possibility of its eventual and devastating effects: kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage heart attack and stroke.

Unlike Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 is a metabolic disorder, often diagnosed in adulthood, in which a person’s body still produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively.

There are approximately 3 million Americans living with Type 1 diabetes, and more than 30,000 children and adults are diagnosed every year.

Michelle said she remembers when her life changed because of Type 1 diabetes. She was 4 years old when she started showing signs that her pancreas wasn’t working properly.

“I was on a toboggan run—it was a pivotal moment,” she said. She’d become exhausted and had to stop participating.

Teri Smolarski said they were at an amusement park when she noticed that her daughter had become unusually thirsty and had to urinate far too often.

“ That’s when she started looking a little strange to me,” Smolarski said.

Michelle remembers how difficult it was to deal with her condition when she was younger.

She couldn’t play for as long and could not eat anything with sugar. Her mother had to attend every field trip to make sure Michelle didn’t eat anything that could cause her to go into shock. Smolarski also attended every class party so she could give her daughter sugar-free treats when the other students were eating cupcakes.

“Sports was difficult,” Michelle said. Exercise has the ability to make blood sugar levels plunge, so Smolarski had to come to any sports activity with a quick fix of orange juice.

“Ultimately we want a cure,” Smolarski said. But for now, additional funding to find a better way for families to manage Type 1 diabetes would be a big step forward.

At the Children’s Congress, Michelle represented millions of people with the disease and the Los Angeles Chapter of the JDRF, which serves thousands of Californians affected by Type 1 diabetes in Los Angeles, the Central Coast and the Central Valley.

“Growing up is a full-time job for a kid,” Michelle said. “Knowing what your blood sugars are all day and night shouldn’t be.”