POLAND — For five years 14-year-old Quinn Ferguson has battled juvenile diabetes, also called Type 1 diabetes, a condition whereby his body doesn’t produce insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy needed for life.

In three weeks Quinn is taking that battle to Washington, D.C., where he will meet with Maine’s congressional delegation to let them know why their support is so critical in curing, treating and preventing diabetes.

“We owe it to our next generation to find a cure. It’s gut-check time, and we need the final help to cross the line,” Quinn said.

Quinn, who just graduated from Poland’s Bruce Whittier Middle School, will travel with his father, Mark Ferguson, as Maine’s delegate to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Children’s Congress 2013.

Quinn is carrying three scrapbooks detailing his five-year tussle as gifts to U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud. A week ago he had dinner with Gov. Paul LePage and presented him with a fourth copy.

“The purpose is to give them the basic idea of what diabetes is and how my life has been changed by it,” Quinn said.

The typical diabetic must learn three things: how to give an insulin injection, how to count carbohydrates and how to monitor blood-sugar levels.

Thus, for Quinn, it’s constant vigilance, constant awareness of what and how much he has eaten, and what energy demands he is placing on his body.

He figures he tests himself seven or eight times a day, each time monitoring the sugar level in a tiny drop of his blood.

“If my sugar level is high, I need a measure of insulin. If it’s low, I have to eat carbohydrates — an 8-ounce glass of orange juice would be typical,” Quinn said.

Diabetes has not stopped Quinn from participating in athletics.

As a middle-schooler, he played on the Poland Rec football team, where his favorite position was tight end, and this fall he intends to join the high school team.

This spring he was on the middle school track team, competing in the shot put, the 100-meter dash and the 4 by 100 and the 4 by 400 relays.

“In sports I have to constantly check my blood so my sugar doesn’t get too low. When it does, I take a juice and sit out for a while,” Quinn said.

His parents, Mark and Valerie Ferguson, are pleased with Quinn’s growth in maturity, his acceptance of his responsibility for his well-being, and proud that he was chosen as Maine’s delegate to the JDRF’s Children’s Congress.

“He’s responded in amazing fashion,” Mark said. “He’s a fighter; he wants to make a difference.”

Quinn noted that cases of juvenile diabetes appear to be growing.

“More kids seem to have it,” Quinn said.

Mark confirmed that locally the numbers appear to bear out Quinn’s statement.

“It’s their generation’s polio,” Mark said, “Actually, we have a cluster here in Poland; 13 kids have it. It’s spreading as fast as autism, and we don’t know why.”

As part of the battle, Valerie and Mark are deeply involved in Poland Spring United, a local group dedicated to hope and healing.

“And we’re extremely fortunate to have Barbara Bush Hospital down in Portland. They’re taking care of 700 kids with Type I diabetes,” Mark said, “It’s truly a world-class facility.”

At the Children’s Congress July 8 to 10, Quinn will carry the plea for more research money directly to members of the U.S. Congress.

“I want kids that get diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes to have a cure so they don’t go through the rest of their life giving themselves shots every time they want to eat,” Quinn said, “We fight for kids who can’t fight for themselves.”