Millions of young people battle juvenile diabetes each year. Some of them in Eastern Kentucky got a helping hand. Harlan ARH hosted a diabetes support day for families with children who are growing up with diabetes. A 14-year-old says that living with diabetes has actually made him stronger.

The teenager, Will Daniels, and others at the event say that while the disease makes life tougher for kids, they really become fighters. Nurses who work with them say the kids are good examples for everyone else.

Will found out he had type one diabetes when he was four years old. "I knew I'd be alright. I knew I'd make it through, and everything would be alright. I have so far," he says.

That optimism has carried him through the last 10 years. He went to the diabetes support day for children at Harlan ARH, where kids fighting the disease can band together. Nurses and dietitians talked to the group, highlighting specific things to help kids cope with diabetes.

Martin Joplin, a Family Nurse Practitioner, says he was focusing on "talking about exercise, and how important that is." Julie Jackson, also a Family Nurse Practitioner, agrees. Jackson says children with diabetes have a special structure to their lives, setting the bar for the rest of us.

"When they watch their diets strictly and they do their exercise, they're setting the example for everybody else," Jackson says.

Will says that he's not just living with diabetes, he's becoming a stronger person because of it. "It's helped me with stuff that I've got to face, and it's made me stronger about it. It's important knowing that I can do it and stuff." Events like the one today help Will stay strong and help set an example for the younger kids fighting diabetes.

Shirley Huff, the organizer of the event, says diabetes is something that affects a whole family when a child is diagnosed. The event today was the first one in six years hosted by Harlan ARH.