[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E142-E143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING TARYN WILCOX

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 29, 2014

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Taryn 
Wilcox of Robbinsville, New Jersey for her tireless advocacy on behalf 
of those suffering from diabetes.
  As you will read in her statement submitted for the Record, fourteen-
year-old Taryn was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of five. 
Serving as the American Diabetes Association's Teen Ambassador and the 
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Advocate, Taryn has chosen to 
make a meaningful difference by raising awareness of diabetes and 
joining the fight to find a cure.
  I had the opportunity to meet with Taryn in my office and hear first-
hand her testimony--and could not have been more impressed with her 
passion and focus. According to Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), nearly 26 million Americans--roughly 8.3% of the 
population--suffer from diabetes. Diabetes is a leading cause of heart 
disease and stroke, hypertension, blindness and eye problems, kidney 
disease, nervous system damage, and amputations, among other ailments. 
I've worked with diabetes advocates in the past on such things as 
legislation I authored to extend Medicare coverage for therapeutic 
shoes for elderly diabetics. This commonsense solution has helped 
countless numbers of senior diabetics over the last twenty years.
  Many young Americans--an estimated 215,000 under the age of twenty, 
like Taryn--are suffering from diabetes. The relative rarity at this 
age bracket only leads to common misconceptions about those affected by 
juvenile diabetes. As Taryn states, she cannot simply take a break from 
diabetes--it is constant. She must monitor her disease twenty-four 
hours a day, seven days a week, both checking her blood glucose and 
giving herself insulin injections up to twelve times a day.
  Taryn writes about teachers and swim coaches who became frustrated 
with her need to monitor and manage her blood sugar and publicly 
questioned her ability to compete. But Taryn has refused to quit, using 
these all-too common incidents as motivation to succeed and accomplish 
her goals. She has achieved straight A's and has become one of the best 
swimmers in the State. Through her accomplishments, Taryn has shown 
that while diabetes is a daily struggle, increased awareness can assist 
those suffering from diabetes--providing them with positive support and 
enabling them to achieve their goals.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Taryn Wilcox 
of Robbinsville, New Jersey for her personal testimony and leadership 
in the fight against diabetes, and encourage all of you to read her 
testimony. Her efforts and her passion are an inspiration to us all.


[[Page E143]]


       Congressman Smith, I really appreciate the opportunity to 
     speak to you about how diabetes affects me and the importance 
     of finding a cure.
       I am 14 years old and was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes at 
     the age of 5. I was hospitalized, during my diagnosis, two 
     months prior to entering kindergarten. I have had diabetes 
     for as long as I can remember . . . for most of my life.
       To be honest, it has been challenging managing my diabetes, 
     a disease requiring 24/7 monitoring! I count carbohydrates in 
     everything I eat, check my blood glucose up to 12 times a day 
     as well as give myself up to 12 insulin injections a day. My 
     parents check my blood glucose 2-3 times every night while I 
     sleep! I've had over 68,000 needle sticks since my diagnosis. 
     If I stacked all the needles I've used, it would reach the 
     top of the Washington Monument 26 times!!!!
       Although I try to stay positive, I'm fearful of the many 
     complications and challenges which can result from diabetes 
     such as blindness, amputations, cardiovascular disease, 
     kidney failure and the arduous task of maintaining my blood 
     sugar in a normal range. Sometimes my blood sugar will drop 
     too low or go too high and I feel HORRIBLE. My legs shake . . 
     . I can't think well . . . my heart beats rapidly and 
     sometimes my vision is blurred. There are times I have to sit 
     out during fun activities or miss class time and sit in the 
     nurse's office. It can be a very lonely feeling. Once, soon 
     after my diagnosis, I had a seizure while visiting my 
     grandmother in Arizona. It was an extremely scary experience. 
     It's frustrating not being able to have any time away or 
     vacation from diabetes, it always comes with me.
       Managing my diabetes isn't the only challenge I've had to 
     face since my diagnosis. In 6th grade I asked my teacher to 
     go to the nurse's office to give myself an insulin injection 
     to lower my high blood glucose. She clearly wasn't happy 
     about me missing class time and said loudly in front of my 
     class. . . . ``You make diabetes convenient don't you!'' 
     Trust me there's nothing convenient about having diabetes.
       Years ago while in 2nd grade, I had to change schools 
     because my teacher started treating me differently from my 
     peers. No matter HOW much information was given to her about 
     the disease, she became frustrated with me whenever I needed 
     to manage my diabetes in her classroom. She couldn't 
     understand why I had to check my blood sugar several times 
     during school hours, leave class to go to the nurse's office 
     when my blood sugar was too high or low and told me how 
     unfair it was to drink juice in front of my peers. Looking 
     back, I don't understand why she didn't think how unfair it 
     was for a 7 year old kid to live with diabetes.
       A similar challenge arose in when one of my competitive 
     swim team coaches thought it was RIDICULOUS I had to stop 
     swimming laps during swim practice to manage my blood sugar. 
     One day she crouched down and looked me in the eye in front 
     of my team mates and said, ``If you can't manage to swim 
     continuously during the 1 1/2 hours of practice, you will 
     NEVER make a state swim team!''
       The good news is . . . I became a straight ``A'' student at 
     my new school and I placed 5th and 14th in State with my new 
     swim team! It's a frustrating feeling knowing I have to work 
     TWICE as hard as everybody else to achieve my goals because 
     of trying to balance my diabetes with everyday life. It makes 
     it even harder when some people around me don't have the 
     patience to try to understand my disease. I can't take a 
     ``break'' from diabetes--it's constant.
       Although, I face many challenges every day, living with 
     diabetes, I stay positive by spreading awareness and above 
     all, supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 
     the American Diabetes Association and other organizations in 
     their mission to finding a cure and promoting advocacy. There 
     are over 26 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes so 
     it is important for Congress to fund diabetes research at the 
     highest level as possible. Hopefully, by working together 
     Congressman Smith, we can make a difference in the lives of 
     people living with diabetes to live a happy and healthier 
     life and one day soon, be cured.
     Taryn Wilcox.

                          ____________________