Two Alabama teens to lobby Congress for juvenile diabetes research
Two Alabama teens have been selected to be part of a delegation to Washington, D.C. this month to lobby support for juvenile diabetes type 1 research (T1D). Fernando, 13, from Birmingham and Lily, 15, from Montgomery will be part of the 2017 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Children’s Congress from July 24-26. Fernando is an honor roll student who likes football and track, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age 12. Fernando raises awareness by speaking to his classmates and teammates about what it’s like to have T1D. He says, “I hope that, in the near future, a researcher can find a way to get rid of this disease, so that kids like me can only have to play sports and study.” Diagnosed at age 6, Lily loves all kinds of art: painting, sketching and digital art. Someday she would like to be a veterinarian. “With continued funding and support from Congress, JDRF can continue to research new technologies to make caring for diabetes easier,” Lily said. “My dream is that every person living with type 1 diabetes is allowed the opportunities that I have had to live life to the fullest until a cure is found.” Fernando and Lily will join other children-ages 4 to 17, representing all 50 states. They will participate in a number of activities on the Hill, including a Congressional Committee hearing to share personal testimonies that highlights the daily struggles of living with T1D and the need for continued funding for the research projects such as the Special Diabetes Program (SDP). “These children and their parents face the burden of type one diabetes every day, and by sharing their stories, they become the most powerful advocates we have in fighting type one diabetes. They represent millions of other families like mine who need the support of the government to help us end this disease,” said Derek Rapp, JDRF President and CEO. “Children’s Congress gives the T1D community a unified voice in front of Congress and a way to urge our government leaders to continue supporting research.” Watch Fernando’s Children’s Congress video below: Watch Lilly’s Children’s Congress video below:
Nationwide study: Not easy being a woman in Alabama
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research recently completed a comprehensive state-by-state survey on the economic and political status of women and it did not portray Alabama in a flattering light. The state received grades of “D” and below in each of the six chapters of the study, which included categories such as “Employment & Earnings, “Reproductive Rights,” and “Political Participation.” In the area of “Poverty & Opportunity,” for instance, Alabama received a D-minus. While the statistics show the proportion of women entrepreneurs here is higher than the national average — 28.1 percent compared to 53.5 percent of men, good for 19th in the country — low ranks in rates of health insurance (32nd), educational attainment (46th) and percentage of women who live under the poverty line (46th) dragged down the overall grade severely. The most controversial aspect of the study focused on access to abortion providers, which the Institute sees as an indicator of sexual and reproductive freedom, a view that many Alabamians, including many women, would disagree with. Nonetheless, the state was docked in a big way for the following aspects of its body politic, among others: the state’s parental notification and consent laws with regard to abortion, the mandatory waiting period before one is available, a generally pro-life governor and legislature, and a minority of women (41 percent) who live in counties where abortion providers offer their services. The highest marks the IWPR gave the Yellowhammer state were for “Work & Family” — the state’s relatively low gender gap is workforce participation among those with young children (20.9 percent fewer women than men in that category work) and high “Child Care Index,” which measures access and affordability, buoyed the state’s rankings, edging it past Mississippi, Arkansas, Idaho and West Virginia. Other select Alabama findings from the 2015 study: 31.5 percent of employed women work in low-wage jobs Men are 2.4 times more likely to work in a STEM field Women earn 76 cents on the dollar compared to men in the state 14 percent of women have diabetes, as well as 13.6 percent of men The state ranked 51st in mental health: women reported 5.6 days of ill mental health per month Heart disease remains a major problem: 184.3 women per one hundred thousand, and 281.8 men, die per annum of the malady.
