Type 1 diabetic teen selected as delegate for JDRF Children's Congress

Press Release (ePRNews.com) - NEW YORK - Mar 18, 2017 - Teenager with Type 1 diabetes selected to be a delegate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Children’s Congress 2017

When: July 24-26
Where: Washington D.C.

Sofia Scarselli, a 14 year old from New York City and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, has been selected to be a delegate for this year’s JDRF Children’s Congress taking place this July. The purpose of the Children’s Congress is to raise awareness among the nation’s lawmakers of the plight of children, teenagers, and adults afflicted with Type 1 diabetes. Every two years delegates descend upon Washington D.C. in order to lobby Senators and members of the House of Representatives for greater funding for research into a cure for T1D.

About Sofia Scarselli:  Sofia was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 12. It was her orthodontist who initially noticed a change in Sofia’s eyes and immediately sent her to the family’s pediatrician. “An orthodontist who thinks out of the box”, said Sofia’s doctor as she diagnosed Sofia with T1D, Graves disease, and Celiac’s disease, all auto-immune disorders.  Sofia has participated in fund raising, teen mentoring, and working with younger T1D children at a camp for diabetics affiliated with New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital. It was then that Sofia realized how powerful her voice and personal message could be and she became extremely involved with JDRF and T1D advocacy and awareness. Sofia was recently featured in a news segment on NY1 News regarding the rise in T1D in young people.  Although Sofia faces the daily challenge of managing her diabetes, she is a thriving teen, studying Chinese, Latin, Arabic, Yiddish and American Sign Language. Sofia is starting up a non-profit to help deliver supplies to disadvantaged diabetics in need worldwide. Her first campaign will be focused on diabetic Syrian refugees.

Sofia wears an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor to help her with the challenge of managing her blood glucose levels. These devices and other new technologies exist to ease the burden of daily diabetic management; however they are extremely expensive and unavailable to those less fortunate or uninsured. This is why Sofia is prepared to lobby lawmakers to raise funding and awareness in Washington D.C. on behalf of the 1.25 million Americans affected by this disease. She is hoping to one day live in a world without type 1 diabetes.