Local youth raises awareness about Type 1 Diabetes in Washington
Young Pierce County student Charley Taylor was one of only five kids representing Georgia in Washington, DC at the Breakthrough T1D 2025 Children’s Congress.
From the outside, Taylor appears to be a healthy, active child. But if you look closer, you may notice she wears two medical devices. You may see her counting carbs at every meal and administering insulin to herself. You might even see her taking a break to drink juice to raise her low blood sugar level. No matter what she’s doing, behind the scenes Taylor and her parents are constantly working to manage her blood sugar.
Taylor was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes three years ago. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Currently, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes. People with this condition are entirely dependent on insulin injections or an insulin pump to manage their blood sugar levels.
Even with the availability of insulin, managing type 1 diabetes is extremely challenging, as it is impossible to fully replicate the function of a healthy pancreas. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 cannot be caused or cured by changes in diet or exercise.
Soon after Taylor’s diagnosis, she became involved with the organization Breakthrough T1D (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Through her advocacy work with them, she was selected as one of only five children to serve as a delegate representing Georgia’s T1D community this summer in Washington, DC. The Breakthrough T1D 2025 Children’s Congress brings children from across the U.S. to meet with members of Congress on Capitol Hill to raise awareness about the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. By sharing their unique stories, the children advocate for continued research funding, improved technology, insulin affordability and, ultimately, a cure for T1D.
Taylor says she is honored and excited to raise awareness by serving as a representative for herself and others living with T1D and their families. In the meantime, the fight for a cure and life both go on. Taylor is 13 years old and will be going into the ninth grade this fall.
Charley Taylor was one of five Georgia kids at the Breakthrough T1D 2025 Children’s Congress in Washington.
