University Of Toledo Medical Center

Toledo teen, Bowersox in D.C.

Toledo resident William Beebe is only 14 years old, but he's already committed to finding a cure for diabetes.

William, an incoming freshman at St. John's Jesuit High School, who has Type 1 juvenile diabetes, said he was "ecstatic" when he found out he would be going to Washington with 150 other young delegates to participate in the 2011 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Children's Congress." The delegates came from across the United States and abroad to urge officials to accelerate the system's research and review process, and lobby for continued research funding.

William was one of seven young delegates chosen from Ohio, and six from Michigan. The event was also attended by American Idol singer Crystal Bowersox

The teenager contracted diabetes when he was just 5 years old. There is no cure, but he said an artificial pancreas, which would automatically disperse insulin based on changes in blood sugar levels, would significantly improve the lives of diabetics.

An artificial pancreas system, though supported by Congress, has not yet been approved by the FDA, and is being looked at in other countries.

"The only thing we're waiting for is FDA approval; Congress has signed off on it; we just need them to push it along," William said.

Celebrities with diabetes, who include Ms. Bowersox, the Ottawa County native and 2010 American Idol runner-up, also joined the campaign, proving to the children that diabetes shouldn't stop them from pursuing their dreams.

Ms. Bowersox led the event's traditional performance of the song "Promise to Remember Me" on Tuesday. Other celebrities in attendance were Olympic gold medalist and swimmer Gary Hall, Jr., NFL football guard Kendall Simmons, and Amazing Race winner Natalie Strand.

William and Ms. Bowersox participated in a blitz on Capitol Hill Wednesday, urging officials to expedite the approval process for an artificial pancreas system. The teen also met Wednesday with U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio), and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) to share his personal story.

"I told [Miss Kaptur and Ms. Bowersox] my life story about diabetes, and I went through my scrapbook," William said.

"I told [them] all about the artificial pancreas project, which is done in [other] countries, but not in the United States."

Ms. Bowersox also joined in the meeting with Miss Kaptur.

"We need to make sure federal agencies like the FDA are doing their part to speed better treatments like the artificial pancreas, so that people with Type 1 are as healthy as possible and protected from complications of this disease," Ms. Bowersox said.

A New Day at The University of Toledo Medical Center | Patient ...

November 10, 2010 was a new beginning for The University of Toledo Medical Center. New employee uniforms and scrubs will help unify the UTMC team, a new patient gown will increase comfort and a new focus on patient satisfaction will lead UTMC into the future. Chris Ankney from University Communications took the opportunity to get some thoughts from the staff about the changes.

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