RICHMOND, Va. -- A 13-year-old Midlothian boy was one of the guests in attendance at President Joe Biden's State of the Union on Tuesday night.
Joshua Davis, a seventh-grader at Swift Creek Middle School, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 11 months old. When he was just four years old, he advocated for the Virginia General Assembly to pass a bill making schools safer for kids with Type 1 diabetes.
The Davis family, including Joshua's dad, who also has Type 1 diabetes, has continued to raise awareness about the importance of lowering prescription drug costs for American families.
"It's surreal," Brian Davis, Joshua's father, said. "He has impressed me over the years with his natural ability to make others feel welcome and his work at this level so others going through it can see it."
"I'm just going to be so proud to be his brother," Jackson Davis, Joshua's brother, said. "Joshua doesn't exactly fit the stereotype of a typical Type 1 Diabetic kid. He doesn't let it slow him down."
Recently, Joshua and his mother Shannon introduced President Biden at an event on prescription drug costs at Germanna Community College in Culpeper.
Dr. Ed Maynes, the principal of Swift Creek Middle School, shared the following statement about Joshua's invitation:
Joshua has found success in and out of the classroom at Swift Creek Middle School. Aside from being an avid reader and honor roll student, Joshua more importantly is respectful to his peers and teachers. In addition, he exhibits empathy by advocating for those suffering from diabetes. I have no doubt that his character and abilities will provide him great success in the future.
President Biden acknowledged Joshua during his speech on Tuesday night.
"In Virginia, I met a handsome young boy standing up there, Joshua Davis. And why his fight should be everyone's fight. Drug companies charge him and his family 30 times that amount. Imagine being his mother," Biden said.
"I can't wait to see what he does next," Brian said.
