Gross Schechter student advocates for Type 1 diabetes research

Among the 160 children from across the United States who traveled to Washington, D.C., July 8 to 10 to advocate for Type 1 diabetes research was a Gross Schechter Day School student.

When Skye Garfinkel, 6, along with her father, Gregg Garfinkel, arrived in the nation’s capital with the other delegates of JDRF, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, they were presented with a rigorous schedule of meeting with elected officials, attending a congressional committee hearing, meet ups with others kids in Skye’s age group who have Type 1 diabetes and a town hall with celebrities who have Type 1 diabetes. Skye represented Ohio with one other child delegate.

She met with U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, and a representative from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland. While typically shy, Garfinkel said he saw Skye open up when she spoke with Joyce, who explained he had a family member with Type 1 diabetes. After coming back from the trip, Skye said she asked Joyce to “help me find a cure to help me get rid of my diabetes” and gave him a fist bump.

The group lobbied elected officials to continue funding the Special Diabetes Program, which is set to expire Sept. 30. The program provides $150 million annually for Type 1 diabetes research at the National Institutes of Health, according to JDRF.

“I think when congresspeople or elected leaders hear these kids storm Capitol Hill, storm their offices, and talk to them about Type 1 diabetes, give them their stories and the challenges that they face daily, it has an impact on them,” said Garfinkel, a member of Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike.

He said Skye has experienced various challenges since being diagnosed last year. Among them was finding a school that was equipped to handle her needs and how other kids interact with her.

Returning from the trip, Garfinkel said he hopes to see funding continue for the Special Diabetes Program but also that more education is provided to the general public.

“I know some people may think that Skye is contagious but that’s not the case,” he said. “There’s nothing prohibiting her from eating anything that she wants, the only thing is she has to get an injection of insulin after meal time.”

Through the experience, Garfinkel saw Skye learn the meaning behind tikkun olam, or making the world a better place.

“She’s an advocate for the millions of kids who have Type 1 diabetes, to reduce the burden for them and to ultimately find a cure for them,” he said. “She was their voice. Her along with the other 160 delegates, their voices will be heard and things will get done both on the state level and federal level.”