Testimony of Kate Hall
From Casco, Maine
At the Hearing entitled:
“Diabetes Research: Improving Lives on the Path to a Cure”
Wednesday, July 15th, 2015, at 2:15 p.m.
Before the
United States Senate Special Committee on Aging
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50
Washington, D.C.

 Good afternoon. My name is Kate Hall and I am from Casco, Maine. Thank you, Chairman
Collins, Ranking Member McCaskill and Members of the Committee, for the honor of being here
today to speak about my experience living with type 1 diabetes or T1D as an athlete.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was ten years old. At first it seemed as if I would
never understand every little, tiny detail that was involved in having diabetes. I had to adjust to
taking shots of insulin, checking my blood sugar several times a day, learning how to count
carbohydrates in everything I ate, and learning how to deal with high and low blood sugars
correctly. However, the thing that stood out to me the most was being benched during my first
soccer game after my diagnosis. That really made me realize that diabetes wasn’t going to ever
stop me from doing the things I loved most. I thought, “I am not sitting out on anything ever
again if I can help it. I am figuring this thing out.”
Type 1 diabetes is challenging, particularly when it comes to what I love doing most – track and
field. The events I compete in, the long jump and the short sprints, require rigorous, daily
training. But for me, because I live with T1D, keeping my blood sugar in a healthy range as much
as possible is just as important a part of my training and success as anything else I can do to
prepare for competitions. Managing my diabetes can be really hard at times, and I’ve realized I
can’t figure everything out on my own. I need help from doctors, my parents, diabetes
technologies, and researchers.
Being a competitive track and field athlete, there are many tiny details involved that people have
to do in order to get the best results possible. Some of these things include staying hydrated,
eating well, sleeping well, training the right way, and warming up correctly to prevent injury. Not
only do I have to do all of these things, but making sure my blood sugar is at a good level is
another thing to add to the list. Whenever I am training or competing I have to take my blood
sugar several times before I run in order to make sure it won’t go high or low. If it is high or low,
I need to quickly do what I need to do to get it to that perfect level so it doesn’t negatively affect
me. During my training or competition, I try to check my blood sugar every half hour to ensure a
high or low blood sugar will not affect my performances. If my blood sugars do become too high
or low, which has happened several times, my PH level changes and I occasionally get muscle
cramps. These muscles cramps are very painful and prevent me from competing the rest of the
day or even week. When this happens, it is extremely frustrating to think that my diabetes is
preventing me from doing what I love the most even when I try my hardest to control it.
I wear an insulin pump and was using a continuous glucose monitor until we changed health
insurance companies. With most private health insurers covering CGMs these days, I am hopeful
that my current plan will update its policy so I can use a CGM again. These devices help me
spend more of my day in a healthy blood sugar range, and also help me focus on training and
competing.
Thankfully, new technology, diabetes management devices, and also the support of my family
and my healthcare team, have allowed me to pursue my passion and become a world-ranked
junior athlete. I was able to end my high school long jump career this year by breaking a 39-year
old national high school record with a jump of 22 feet, 5 inches at the New Balance Nationals last
month. My jump also broke the U.S. junior record set in 1982 and surpassed the automatic
qualifying standard for the 2016 Olympic trials. I also finished third in the 100 meter event with a
time of 11.37 seconds.

 My dream is to one day represent the United States at the Olympics. This fall, I’ll begin training
at Iowa State, and although I’ll be far from home and working with a new team of coaches – one
key part of my life remains unchanged: the challenges of managing my type 1 diabetes every day.
Technologies are important, but those of us with T1D need more. We need the scientists to help
us figure out even better treatments and a cure for this disease. That’s why my family and I are
grateful for the funding that Congress has provided for type 1 diabetes research. Chairman
Collins, we thank you for your leadership. All of us with T1D are counting on Congress to help
us figure it out.
Thank you.