In Bolivia, Life for a Child Helps a Youth Achieve His Dream

As a 5-year-old in Bolivia, Brandon Velarde Mariscal was fighting for his life. “My son was dying. He didn’t eat. He couldn’t walk,” said his mother.

After more than a year, Brandon was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Even then, he was given too little insulin, and he continued to lose weight.

Finally, Brandon’s mother found a doctor who stabilized his condition and connected them with a program to get him the insulin he needed – Life for a Child.

Lilly has supplied more than 2 million vials of insulin to the program, which helps young people with diabetes in developing countries. Last year, Lilly insulin helped 19,000 young people in 31 countries.

Now 24, Brandon recently graduated as a dentist and now helps improve health for others. “I want to prove that diabetes hasn’t been an impediment for me. People with diabetes, we can do it.”