Walnut’s Josie Edlefson attends JDRF Children’s Congress in Washington, D.C.

Out of a field of more than 700 applicants, 17-year-old Josie Edlefson from Walnut was selected to attend the JDRF Children’s Congress, which took place July 9 to 11 in Washington, D.C.

The JDRF Children’s Congress meets every two years and gives children with Type 1 diabetes a chance to meet face to face with some of the top decision-makers in the U.S. government. JDRF itself is the leading global organization that funds Type 1 diabetes research, according to its website.

Edlefson’s journey with Type 1 diabetes began in May 2016 and, ever since, she has been involved at the local, state and national levels in raising awareness and funds for JDRF in hopes of one day curing the disease.

Since her diagnosis, she has made it her mission to speak up for all individuals living with the disease while continuing to spend time enjoying the many activities and organizations she has been involved in. These activities have included FFA, 4-H, sports, National Honor Society and school plays.

Edlefson’s mission was further brought into the spotlight as she and more than 160 other children traveled to Washington, D.C., for the JDRF Children’s Congress.

The group of delegates received two days of in-person training to prepare for Capitol Hill and met a group of celebrity Type 1 diabetes role models, including American Ninja Warrior Katie Boone and NFL player Orlando Brown Jr.

On the last day of the event, the group had the opportunity to sit in a congressional hearing as two delegates spoke about their lives with Type 1 diabetes.

Edlefson, along with other delegates, then met with staff members of Illinois Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin. She then met with Rep. Darrin LaHood and his staff members to wrap up her D.C. experience.

During the meetings, Edlefson gave them scrapbooks documenting her journey with Type 1 diabetes. These stories included her diagnosis, her obstacles, her living her life to the fullest and her dreams for the future.

Edlefson also advocated for the support of the renewal of the Special Diabetes Program, which is set to expire in September. The SDP funding has been crucial to Type 1 diabetes research and technological advances.

Aside from the SDP, Edlefson advocated for the support of the Insulin Affordability Bill and the National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, federal agencies that have a strong influence on advancing new therapies for Type 1 diabetes.

Thanks to some of these advances, Edlefson no longer has to poke her finger many times a day to check her blood glucose level, as she wears a Dexcom glucose meter, which sends readings to her pump and phone every five minutes.