Motivational Speakers

Life is a series of choices built around unpredictable circumstances. When I was 13 years old, I realized that sometimes the only choice we have is how we react. That year, I was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. My life became a series of insulin shots, blood sugar checks, and doctor appointments.

As shocking as it was to me, it had already happened once in my family. Two years before my younger brother Will had been diagnosed with type-1 at the age of five. I was ashamed and embarrassed and I thought I would never be able to go after my dreams.
My outlook changed when I met other kids at a diabetes camp who were living life to the fullest despite their disease. At that moment, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and returned home determined to educate my friends, classmates, and teachers about this disease.

For the past l2 years, I have shared my struggle of living with diabetes with over 200,000 people. As the National Youth Advocate for the American Diabetes Association I spent a year traveling across the country to diabetes camps, convention halls, and even the US congress and White House. My message was simple: We must find a cure for diabetes and provide support and care for the millions of people living with the disease.

I continue to advocate for diabetics and share my story with purpose and passion as well as sitting on the Board of Directors for the American Diabetes Association. I know that the message that I have is not just for people living with diabetes, but for all people who have faced adversity in their life. I want to help people choose to be the victor, instead of the victim; because it’s your choice.