Marin Sends 2 to Breakthrough T1D
Reese Larson of Mill Valley and Spencer Springfield of Kentfield
Two teens from Marin County were chosen by Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization, to join a delegation of their peers and celebrity advocates in Washington, D.C., this summer at Breakthrough T1D 2025 Children’s Congress from July 7-9.
Reese Larson, 14, of Mill Valley and Spencer Springfield, 17, of Kentfield, will join 170 other youth from across the country to meet with members of Congress and other key decision makers to inform them of the critical role they can play in supporting the T1D community.
Reese, above, was diagnosed at age 6 and has since grown to be more comfortable making her T1D devices visible and sharing her story. She loves to perform, both in dance and musical theater. Music has always been her passion, whether she is performing on stage or listening on her headphones. Due to the medical knowledge she has gained from living with T1D, she envisions being a doctor or surgeon in the future; she would love to help people the way that nurses and doctors helped her.
Spencer, above, was diagnosed with T1D at age 2. He is a junior in high school and a dedicated student. He is passionate about photography, loves traveling, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. He is on the varsity lacrosse team and loves hiking and exploring the hills of Marin. He has big goals for the future and hopes to attend a four-year university, where he plans to study math or science. No matter what career he chooses, he wants to do something meaningful that makes a real impact. T1D has shaped his life in many ways, but it doesn’t define him—he’s determined to keep pushing forward.
Throughout the event, these youth, ages 4 to 17, will participate in leadership and character-building programming, interact with T1D role models, and engage in a number of activities on Capitol Hill, including attending a Senate hearing featuring personal testimonies that highlight the challenges of living with T1D and the need for continued Federal funding through the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) and accelerating cell therapies.
Joining the U.S. delegates are five international delegates traveling from Australia, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Together, the delegates will convey to the Federal government that T1D is a global issue that requires a global response.
Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress was inspired by a boy from Massachusetts named Thom Solo. One day, at age nine, he asked his mother, “Why can’t kids go to Washington and tell their Representatives about what it’s like to have type 1 diabetes and let them know that we want scientists to find a cure?” His mom and other leadership volunteers agreed, and, in 1999, the first-ever Children’s Congress took place in Washington, D.C.
Since then, more than 1,000 kids with T1D have served as delegates, and the event has been essential to securing continued government funding for T1D research and raising awareness of the daily burden experienced by people living with this serious autoimmune disease.
Delegates form lifelong friendships, meet T1D role models, develop leadership skills, and leave Children’s Congress empowered to use their voices to power progress on the path to cures. To learn more about Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress, visit: cc.breakthrought1d.org.