Though Sonia Sotomayor is well known for being the Supreme Court’s first Hispanic nominee, the judge will also be the first Supreme Court justice with type 1 diabetes if she is confirmed to the position. According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes, but only 5 -10% of people with diabetes have type 1.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that attacks the pancreas, destroying the body’s only insulin-producing cells. Insulin is the hormone that regulates blood glucose, also known as blood sugar. In order to regulate blood sugar and in turn survive, Sotomayor (and all people with type 1 diabetes) must have insulin delivered to their bodies through an injection or an insulin pump.

Most people with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed as children, and some people still refer to type 1 diabetes as “childhood-onset diabetes.” Sotomayor was diagnosed when she was just eight years old in the early 1960s, a time when diabetes was seen as a lifelong burden and debilitating disease. President Obama addressed this issue when introducing Sotomayor as his nominee for Supreme Court last week.

“When she was diagnosed… she was informed that people with diabetes can’t grow up to be police officers or private investigators like Nancy Drew. In essence, she was told she’d have to scale back her dreams,” the president said.

There is no prevention method or cure for type 1 diabetes, but people with diabetes can lead fulfilling, successful lives as long as they take insulin and manage their blood glucose levels. And though plenty of controversy surrounds Sotomayor’s court decisions and personal politics, there’s no question about her diabetes: it will not affect her ability to serve as a Supreme Court justice.

Want to voice your opinions about Sotomayor or type 1 diabetes? Visit the Healia Diabetes Type 1 Online Health Community and Support Group. Think you know everything about the disease? Test your knowledge on the Healia Diabetes Quiz.