“Yes, I’ll do it.” My mind raced. I am just one person! Is this really going to make any difference anyways? Congress? Washington? I can’t affect it, I can’t touch it.

These are the thoughts that went through my head after the American Diabetes Association asked ME to speak to Congress about the disease. I am only one of 17 million people in this country who have diabetes. I was diagnosed at the age of 4, and since then I’ve lost my sight, one of my kidneys, my ability to have children, and my brother to the disease. So when I was asked to represent all 17 million of us in front of Congress, I was intimidated and I was scared, but I said yes. I felt a sense of duty. I took the responsibility to do what I could as one individual who is part of something bigger.

We desperately needed more funding for research. Still, I had this attitude like, is this really going to make any difference? I felt like the government was this huge thing down in Washington, and who was I? Other years all the leading doctors in the field had spoken to them about the disease and research that needed to be done. I was just a patient. I was just one person.

What I learned is that Congresspeople are just that – people. I spoke, and they listened. People are busy, but if you talk, chances are your voice will be heard. Bottom line, we got an increase in funding that year. I know that it was not just me, it was the work of hundreds of others, it was all of us. But I know I played a part.

I’m just one, but I’ve used my power as one to do my part in this world. From collecting coins in a can for cancer research as a kid on Halloween to laying bricks to build a house with Habitat for Humanity, I’ve learned that I can be an important part of any process, even though I’m blind, because there’s a place for me.

I really think the world could be a much better place if we each took some time to think about our place in it. You have the power to be anything you want to be and to do anything you want to do. The power is in you, and if you decide that you want to change something, then you just go out and change it. In a little way, in a big way – it ALL makes a difference. We’re each busy with school, work, sports or our families, and sometimes it takes a minute to stop and do the right thing. Stop and help a blind person across the street or hold a door for an older person who’s carrying a bag of groceries. Even a smile goes a long way. You have a lot of potential and a lot of power. Take the responsibility to use it!

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