Gracie Schroeder was one of 150 children throughout the U.S. chosen to represent her state on Capitol Hill earlier this week to remind state representatives to remember children with Type 1 diabetes when it comes time to funding health initiatives.

Nick Jonas, Mary Tyler Moore and Sugar Ray Leonard, all celebrities inflicted with the disease, joined the kids to testify before the senate committee on Homeland Security and Government affairs.

Gracie was selected to Children's congress through JDRF's Lincoln Chapter. Immediately after she was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 14 months old she became a Youth Ambassador.

Gracie's mother says going to Washington, D.C. was a great experience.

"It was awesome; it was amazing to be able to be invited," said Dawn Schroeder. "I was one of the fortunate parents to have a young enough child so I was allowed to go as well. We were allowed to go into the back, basically the backyard of the White House."

The day-to-day fight to stay alive is a constant battle for the family.

"Her pancreas no longer works, no longer produces insulin, it has to be balanced with insulin that we give to her," said Schroeder. "She wears her pump 24 hours a day, 7 days a week other than little breaks like right now when she's out at the pool she gets to have it off but we still test her."

"She gets her finger poked every two hours sometimes more oftern if she is sick and we constantly keep that going. She is not allowed to eat without asking because everything has to be accounted for unike a lot of misconceptions she can have sugar and treats but they are just that treats. And they have to really be balanced."

Every two years Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundations holds a Children's Congress, which culminates with the hearing. It is the largest grassroots event held in support of research for Type 1 diabetes.

The event was held June 22-24 and included a visit with President Barack Obama at the White House, a town hall panel of athletes and celebrities impacted by diabetes, individual visits for each kid delegate with their senators and representatives.