This summer, my son, Carson, and our family traveled from Coeur d'Alene to Capitol Hill to meet with Rep. Labrador and Sens. Crapo and Risch to talk about our hope for a better life with Type 1 diabetes.

During our visit, we talked about the last three years since Carson's Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Without fail, every day and into the night, we check his blood sugar 10-12 times and he gives himself 6-8 insulin injections every day. I worry that if we don't manage this disease, he will risk having long-lasting complications like blindness and kidney disease.

Thanks to the Special Diabetes Program, a better life is ahead for him and others with diabetes. The Special Diabetes Program is a research effort that is working to prevent, treat and hopefully one day cure Type 1 diabetes by better understanding the disease and advancing treatments to prevent complications.

The research is more important than ever since Type 1 diabetes rose among youth 23 percent between 2001-2009. With the Special Diabetes Program, even small businesses are accelerating the development of technologies to help manage diabetes until there is a cure.

My family will continue to do our part by raising money for Type 1 diabetes research, but we hope Congress will renew the Special Diabetes Program to help make it possible for every child with Type 1 diabetes to have a healthier and happier future.

We are grateful that the entire Idaho delegation supports the Special Diabetes Program because of what it means for my son, and the prevention and awareness programs for Native Americans who have Type 1 diabetes.

FONDRA MAGEE

Coeur d'Alene