JAKE WINDELL: As long as I'm living, I'll keep going - Jake

Jake, diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 3, hasbeen told his entire life that he wouldn't be able to do certain things because of it — become a pilot, play professional sports, or get hired by the LA County Fire Department, all things that, as a kid, he had my heart set on. With a personal mindset of, 'As long as I'm living," he always told himself that as long as he is physically able, he will go after his dreams, even when all the odds are stacked against him. 

Because of that mindset, at 22, he became the first and only Type 1 Diabetic firefighter hired by LA County, after a long road and countless hoops jumped through, more than the nearly 5,000 other firefighters throughout the County had to experience. Since then, it's been his mission to make sure other kids know that their lives don't need to be dictated by what others have done or say they can or can't do, but rather by what they set their minds to and choose to overcome.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jake_w13/