Valley 5-year-old heads to nation's capital for Children's Congress

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - A Valley kid and his family are leaving town tomorrow. They're heading across the country to the nation's capital for 2019's Children's Congress.

Grant Leonard has been living with Type one diabetes since he was just two. Grant, now five, is heading to kindergarten after the summer, and this comes as he's becoming more aware of his health condition.

"There's been starting to be conversations about 'I wish I didn't have it, why do I have to have it? I wish it would just go away'," said Grant's mother, Faith Leonard.

Staying positive has been a priority, so Grant is going on a trip. He and more than 160 kids across the nation will represent Type one diabetes research this summer at in Washington D.C. for the JDRF 2019 Children's Congress.

"This is going to be a time where everybody's coming together and we can use our voice," said Faith. "His last day, he had his individual three meetings with Martha McSally, Kirsten Sinema, and Representative Andy Biggs."

Grant will also sit in on a congressional hearing, where he and other children will testify about the importance of renewing the Special Diabetes Project, and speak one-on-one with Congress about diabetes research, hoping to make strides towards capping co-pays on insulin.

"This so going to be a time where everybody's coming together and we can use our voice," said Faith. "Part of this journey has been about, instead of getting sad, we rise up and use our words."

As Faith and her son get ready for their journey on Friday, they're overwhelmed with the love and support they've been given.

"I know that there will continue to be hard times, and I hope that this trip, I hope this journey, I hope that the other kids that have Type one diabetes that he's going to meet, there will only be a wonderful reminder when those times get tough," said Faith.

Grant, meanwhile, said he's excited for the opportunity to be a voice for other kids just like him, because for him, this trip means he's just one step closer to finding a cure.