Fights for Diabetes Research - Sept. 4, 2008

GEORGE ROTHWEILER: My daughter Stephanie was diagnosed with diabetes when she was five.

CHRIS ROTHWEILER: She was frightened and we were frightened. We didn't know what the road was going to be for us.

STEPHANIE ROTHWEILER: I thought I would go away like a cold, but after a few days it dawned on me that I’d have this forever.

ANNOUNCER: More than 60,000 Mainers live with diabetes.

G. ROTHWEILER: Stephanie went to Washington, DC, to help raise awareness about diabetes. That's where we met Senator Susan Collins, who founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus.

S. ROTHWEILER: I immediately knew that she cared and that she did want to care as much as I did.

ANNOUNCER: Senator Collins brought Democrats and Republicans together to help triple the funding for diabetes research.

COLLINS: Someday we’ll see a cure for diabetes. And it’s children like Stephanie that inspire me to fight for more funding for diabetes research.

G. ROTHWEILER: She cares. It's about making sure that the right kind of funding goes to the right place. She's wonderful.

S. ROTHWEILER: Senator Collins is totally committed to finding a cure, and I'm so lucky that she’s my senator.

COLLINS: I'm Susan Collins and I approve this message.