Testimony of Katie Halasz

Unlike Dylan and Sophia, I do know what it's like to live without diabetes. I dream of another day without diabetes. My name is Katie Halasz. I am 16 years old and from Wells, ME. I want to tell you how my life changed on June 12, 1999 at 11:00 p.m. when I was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.

At first, I didn't know what diabetes was. The doctor told me that I would have to take insulin shots the rest of my life. I didn't think that diabetes would change my life that much, but boy was I wrong! I have to test my blood sugar and take shots all the time. It affects everything I do - even being part of the color guard for the school band is a challenge. My sugar level often goes high and results in keytones that are poisons in my body that can be very dangerous. When you get keytones you can't do any exercise. It is very hard on my team and on me when I can't march.

School is a lot harder when you have diabetes. My school doesn't allow me to test my blood in the classroom. My classes are on the third floor and the nurses office is on the first floor. When I feel low I have to walk down three fights of stairs, and this is very dangerous. Some of my teachers think that I leave the classroom just to get out of class - do they think I enjoy sticking a needle in my finger?! When my blood sugars are high, I can't concentrate on my work and my vision blurs. My teachers don't understand. Some of them even think that it is my fault that my sugars go up because they think that I eat things like candy bars. They don't understand that my sugars can go up for no apparent reason. Educating my teachers has been one of my biggest challenges since being diagnosed with diabetes.

Having diabetes complicates more than just school. Last year I had a cyst under my arm. It became infected. I went go to see a surgeon about once a month to have the area opened so it could drain. My sugars were always high because of the infection, and the infection would not heal because of the high sugars. Finally, I had to have surgery to remove the cyst. The doctors also had to remove half of the tissues in my underarm.

Senator Collins and members of this Committee, we are here today to ask for your help in finding a cure for juvenile diabetes. Each of us wants to be able to go to school, play in the band and on sports teams, without worrying about going into a coma because of a low blood sugar. Each of us wants to grow up without the daily stress of trying to treat a horrible disease and the fear of complications. We will do our part to educate policymakers about diabetes and raise money to support research. But we need you to be our partner in this effort - we can't do it alone. Senator Collins, I am glad and grateful you are my Senator. You have shown incredible dedication and leadership in our common quest for a cure. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.