Children’s Congress Delegates – Bobby and Mary Morgan – Preparing to Visit Washington, D.C.

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Mary Morgan Collier, age 13 and Bobby Klumok, age 9, have BIG plans this summer. They were selected to join 160 other JDRF Children’s Congress delegates in Washington, D.C. from July 13-15. Their mission: to remind their members of Congress of the vital need to support research that reduces the burden of living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), until a cure becomes available.

Children’s Congress, which is held every other summer, will include congressional visits and a congressional committee hearing, during which Mary Morgan, Bobby, other delegates, and T1D celebrity advocates will testify on the need for continued funding for T1D research.

Congratulations to Bobby and Mary Morgan. Good luck in Washington, D.C.!

 

marymorganMary Morgan Collier
Age at T1D diagnosis: 8

“I’m learning that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade,” says Mary Morgan. “Sugar–free lemonade, that is!” Her sunny disposition gets her through the daily struggles of having T1D, which she was diagnosed with about five years ago. But Mary Morgan’s magnetic personality also has a chance to shine through her many hobbies: dance (right now she’s studying lyrical ballet and jazz/hip–hop), acting (she’s appeared in a production of the musical Annie), playing the clarinet in her middle school band, and spending time with her family and friends. “From the beginning, I have felt like I have a choice. I can choose to stay strong and fight my diabetes, or I can give up and let diabetes take over my life. Can you guess what I chose?”

 

bobbyBobby Klumok
Age at T1D diagnosis: 2

For Bobby, a cure for T1D would mean one thing: Game time! “There is so much hope that someday I can just keep playing baseball and not have to stop and check my blood!” he says. Because of recent updates, he says, “There is hope in an artificial pancreas, protected beta cells that can make insulin, long–acting insulin and smart insulin. All this progress takes time and money.” Bobby and his family started one of the earliest support groups for T1D families in Atlanta, and continue to mentor and meet others with T1D. Bobby loves playing soccer, baseball, playing with Legos, going to Minecraft camp, and learning to paddleboard and kayak at Camp Kudzu. When he grows up, he wants to become a Congressman.