My name is Adam Schmieder, and I have had diabetes for about one-third of my lifetime. I am fifteen years old now and was diagnosed when I was ten years old. I can remember it like it was yesterday. My parents were concerned with me because I had been using the bathroom constantly and drinking lots of fluids. My dad decided to take me to the doctor to see what was wrong with me. After testing my urine and blood they knew that it was juvenile diabetes.

The hospital had to keep me over the night because my blood sugar was so high, and they had to bring it back down slowly. I was devastated and knew that my life was about to change in a big way. Living with diabetes can be very interesting and hard at times. When I first got diabetes, I was very upset and was mad that this had to happen to me. Now I have learned to live with it and that it is possible to live a normal life with it.

Everyday I have to take shots and check my blood. Knowing how much carbohydrates are in food is also something I have to worry about because that is one of the factors that determine whether my blood sugars are good or not. It can be very stressful at times to do all these things, but after having diabetes for over five years it has become second nature to me. Finding a cure for diabetes is very important to me. It would make a lot of people‚s lives easier and also save people from complications of diabetes, including death. I think that the U.S. Congress should support diabetes research. A cure for diabetes would be a very great accomplishment.
Juvenile diabetes has had a lot of great support to find a cure, but it could always use more. We are extremely close to finding a cure and with your help I know that it is entirely possible to find one very soon. Right now diabetes can be maintained and managed, but that is not good enough. I will not be happy until we have an actual cure.

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