Most teens consume as much food as they want, not caring whether the food is healthy or junk. However, junior Andrew McCormick must forgo negligent eating habits, and monitor his sugar intake because of his type 1 diabetes.

The disease means McCormick’s body cannot produce insulin, causing his blood sugar to continually spike. In order to get insulin through his body, he must take shots and limit the unhealthy food he eats.

With an approximate 23.6 million people in the United States diagnosed with diabetes, one in every 400-600 children suffer from this disease. At age seven McCormick was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, mainly know by the moniker type 1.

McCormick takes three shots of insulin, two times a day, which maintains his blood sugar at a normal place.

“The most inconvenient thing about having diabetes is having to pay attention to the whole thing; keeping track of what I eat and taking daily shots,” McCormick said.

In addition to insulin, McCormick can manipulate his blood sugar to avoid becoming hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic.

“If my blood sugar gets too low, I drink Juicy Juice