T1D Warrior Spotlight: Nora & the Science Fair
Nora is a T1D Warrior who recently did her science fair project on type 1 diabetes to teach her classmates, teachers, and the parents all about what it’s like to live with T1D. Her project featured graphs showing the blood glucose levels of a person with T1D and without T1D, a “Guess the Carbs” game, and the supplies and technology that help Nora manage her diabetes every day. Our Development Assistant, Brielle, spoke with Nora to learn more about her project!
Brielle: Hi Nora! Thanks so much for speaking with me today. Your mom shared some photos from your science fair project and it looked really awesome! First, how old are you & what grade are you in?
Nora: I’m 9 years old, and I’m in 3rd grade.
B: What town do you live in?
N: Saratoga Springs, NY
B: So you’re 9 years old now — do you remember what age you were when you were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes?
N: 5 years old
B: So you’ve been dealing with it for a few years now, do you feel like you’ve got the hang of it a little bit now?
N: Yes, I do!
B: So what made you decide to do type 1 diabetes for your topic for the science fair?
N: Well, like, in the beginning of the [school] year, I taught kids in my class about it, but then I always wanted to teach the older and younger kids about it too. So when it came, I thought it would be a good time to teach like the whole school about it.
B: That’s really awesome that you used the science fair as a way to spread awareness about it! And your board looked great too — what were the graphs showing?
N: On the left side was the numbers of your BGs (blood glucose levels) and on the bottom, was what time. And it would show people without diabetes, what their number would be at what time. And then [another graph] showed what the numbers would be “before diagnosed” and then “diagnosed” [with T1D].
B: What was the reaction of your classmates & teachers?
N: They liked it and they said it was great! They said “good job” and they liked it!
B: Did anyone guess the carbs correctly in the “Guess the Carbs” game?
N: Some did! And some just like – it was 19g, and they guessed 18g, so I still gave them a prize.
B: What did everyone think when you showed them the technology that helps you maintain your diabetes?
N: They said that was cool & they liked how you could type [a number] in and you could see the insulin could go through.
B: Anything else you’d like to share about your project or about what it’s like to have type 1?
N: I think I’m good!
Thank you to Nora & her mom Ashley for sharing her story with our Chapter! JDRF is committed to improving the lives of people just like Nora, as well as finding a cure so that Nora and other T1D Warriors like her can one day say that they used to have type 1 diabetes.