This summer Nathaniel Plummer did something spectacular. Plummer, a 14-year-old Apopka resident, traveled to Washington, D.C., to represent the Greater Orlando area and advocate for those with Type 1 diabetes.
“..It feels really special to me that I got to do that, to speak, and hopefully make a change, a big change, in the world speaking about Type 1 diabetes,” Plummer said.
Representing the JDRF Children’s Congress, Plummer traveled to the halls of Congress to speak with elected officials representing the State of Florida and ask that they renew the Special Diabetes Program (SDP.) The SDP is essential for advancing the treatment of Type 1 diabetes as its main goal is to find a cure for the disease. The JDRF accepts delegates every two years to travel to Washington, D.C., and to promote the continuation of the SDP.
Plummer, at four years old, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Before being diagnosed, he has memories of how he felt lethargic all the time. When his doctors and his parents revealed the diagnosis, Plummer was stunned.
“I was confused because I didn’t know what it really was,” Nathaniel said. “I didn’t have a good understanding of what Type 1 diabetes was.”
Diabetes is a disease that most people are familiar with, but it’s more complex. Diabetes shows up in two forms, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is an autoimmune disorder that is generally hereditary and appears in earlier stages of life. Type 2 diabetes takes many years to develop and is typically attributed to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
Currently, no cure exists for Type 1 diabetes, although Type 2 diabetes can be put into remission with a healthy diet and exercise. Unfortunately, those with Type 1 must wait for the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture a cure.
Being diabetic, Plummer had to grow up faster than his friends and peers. Type 1 diabetes taught him to be responsible in many ways, such as in his diet and paying close attention to nutritional facts on packaged foods.
“I have to be way more responsible than most of my friends…” he said.
Plummer just started his freshman year of high school and has consistently been a straight-A student. This school year, he will be playing in the school’s marching band, but his true passion is found on the basketball court. Plummer is dedicated to becoming a professional basketball player and is determined to play in the NBA one day.
His advocacy for improving the lives of those with Type 1 diabetes is just one of the many amazing aspects of his life. He exhibits traits like determination and diligence, which allows him to take care of himself while also having a loving and supportive family to look after him..
“He is so responsible on so many different levels,” Jacqueline Plummer, Nathaniel’s mother, said. “He has to think about everything he does in his daily life constantly…”
Nathaniel’s mother, Jacqueline Plummer, helped inspire Nathaniel’s perception of what it means to be a voice for the voiceless. She suggested that Nathaniel fill out JDRF’s application and write a mock letter about insulin affordability to Florida’s Congressional delegation for the chance to be chosen as one of the few who would go to Washington, D.C.
While Nathaniel has been actively advocating for those with Type 1 diabetes for most of his life, this trip to Washington, D.C., was a defining moment in his life and led him to realize that he should take advantage of any opportunity that would contribute to a better world.
In Washington, D.C., Plummer had the opportunity to meet people around his own age who were selected as delegates, and they all shared the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. Nathaniel became friends with some of the delegates he met and has stayed in touch with them since the trip.
Like many of his new friends, he prepared a speech to present to Florida’s elected officials. Before giving his speech, Plummer said he neither felt fear nor anxiety and remained calm and composed as he gave his speech that called for the renewal of the SDP that must be signed by September 30 in order to be passed.
Nathaniel and Jacqueline both believe that the SDP will be renewed, but nevertheless, the thought of it not passing is a cause for concern. The SDP could potentially be a contributing factor to the development of a cure.
“If they don’t sign it by Sept. 30… we can’t have the insulin pumps that we have, the Dexcoms that we have, like some insulin pens because insulin affordability comes into play with that too…” he said. “…If people can’t get insulin, people can die…”
Jacqueline became an advocate for Type 1 diabetes shortly after Nathaniel’s diagnosis 10 years ago and became involved in raising awareness and pushing for advancements for those with diabetes. She remained vigilant for a decade, but Nathaniel traveling to Washington, D.C., to help push the SDP through helped her recognize that it was time to pass the torch on to her son.
“…You don’t realize how many people get diagnosed as children,” Jacqueline said. “I’ve had so many friends come out and ask me questions about symptoms and what to expect because it can happen to anybody…”
Jacqueline said that when Nathaniel was diagnosed, the Plummer family had difficulty coming to terms with their new reality. Nathaniel having Type 1 diabetes came as a shock to them because they were unable to point to any one-known relative that had the same disease.
“He’s here with us nine years later; not all families are as fortunate as we are…” she said. … ”I get emotional thinking about it.”
Through all the hardships the Plummer family faced, one thing became apparent as the years passed, and that was that Plummer's diabetes may have contributed to his desire always to strive to be the best he can be no matter what the challenge is that lies ahead.
What the future holds in store for those who have Type 1 diabetes looks promising. According to Jacqueline, a 60-year-old man with Type 1 diabetes living in Virginia participated in a medicinal trial that has allowed him to abstain from the “use [of] insulin 99% of the time for the past 18 months.”
If a cure for Type 1 diabetes became available, Plummer isn’t sure if he would go through with having it administered. Nathaniel looks at his diabetes as a blessing and a curse. What Nathaniel has done with the blessing and curse is to empower himself, and whenever he chooses to take a shot at something, he aims for the furthest star.
“He has this rare fire about him,” Jacqueline said. “ My husband and I feel like if maybe he didn’t have this diagnosis, he wouldn’t have that.”
