WASHINGTON — Editor's note: The video above is an excerpt from the 2022 State of the Union address.
A 13-year-old Virginia boy is enjoying the spotlight after being first lady Jill Biden's special guest at the State of the Union address.
Joshua Davis from Midlothian has Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and is a big advocate for medical research and lowering the cost of prescription drugs.
He was diagnosed with T1D at just 11 months old. As soon as he was old enough to talk, Davis began speaking out about the challenges of his disease and how lawmakers could help.
He and his father beamed with pride on ABC's "GMA 3" Wednesday as they spoke about Joshua's State of the Union shout-out from President Joe Biden.
"I was ecstatic. I was excited, I was nervous. The excitement definitely outweighed the nervousness," said Joshua.
Biden pointed to Joshua as an example of a patient coping with the high price of prescription drugs. In his case, insulin.
"I spoke to Joshua's mom. Imagine what it's like to look at your child who needs insulin to stay healthy and have no idea in God's name how you're going to be able to pay for it," Biden said during his address.
13News Now first met Davis when he was just eight years old. He was featured in the 13News Now documentary, "Desperate for Dollars: The Fight for Medical Research."
Davis was one of four Virginia kids, all with T1D, chosen to attend the Children's Congress in Washington D.C. on behalf of JDRF.
The group made a pitch before lawmakers to support funding for the Special Diabetes Program. The program provides $150 million annually for T1D research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the country’s premier medical research agency.