She was told at age six that as a Type 1 diabetic, she couldn't play sports.
Well, Jillian Donald of Vernon was having none of that.
Donald, 16, pushed herself everyday to prove her doubters wrong, and exceeded all expectations by becoming a Canadian taekwon-do champion, competing internationally.
Her grit, determination, and attitude has impressed a lot of people worldwide.
Donald, a black belt who trains at Vernon's Sundance Martial Arts, is leading her group in the Colossal.org/3BRAND online Athlete Youth of the Year contest, which has three days left in the current round of voting.
"One of the first nurses that I met when I was diagnosed, he told me that every kid is told they can be whatever they want when they grow up," said Donald on her (where you can cast ballots daily). "And that I can too, but I'm going to have to work twice as hard to get what I want.
"He told me diabetes won't control my life, unless I let it. So I took control of my own life, and I became the athlete I knew I could be. I still talk to him when I need help."
There are more than 4,600 original groups in the online contest, which invites young athletes from across North America of all skill levels to compete to appear in a 3BRAND advertisement in Sports Illustrated Magazine.
New York Giants National Football League quarterback Russell Wilson is the founder of 3BRAND.
The prize also comes with a $25,000 cheque.
Vernon football player Caden O'Dwyer is also leading his individual group in , which wraps up Thursday, Aug. 28 (you can vote for both Donald and O'Dwyer at athleteoftheyear.org).
"Every competitor is randomly divided into equal-numbered groups at the beginning of the competition," explaines Athlete of the Year representatives. "There are multiple phases to the competition and competitors will only be competing with the other competitors in their specific group for the first few rounds."
Public voting began July 28 with the top 20 in each group on Aug. 7 moving on to the next round. Donald and O'Dwyer then advanced following the top-15 vote, held Aug. 7-14, and the top-10 voting which ended Aug. 21 with both advancing to the top-five voting. That round ends this Thursday, Aug. 28.
Group finals voting starts Aug. 28, and that will see public voting reduce the total competitors to one preliminary winner in each Group Final, and that winner will advance to the quarterfinals.
A wildcard round of voting will be held Sept. 5-7 for those competitors who placed second in their respective group finals.
Quarterfinals voting will run Sept. 8-18; top competitors from each Group Finals/Wildcard Round will be divided into quarterfinal groups, and votes will be reset. One quarterfinalist from each group will advance to the semifinals, with voting from Sept. 19-25.
The 2025 Grand Prize Youth Athlete of the Year winner will be announced on or before Oct. 17, 2025.
Colossal.org is a nationally registered professional fundraiser that inspires people to advocate for themselves and for people in need. Through online competitions like the Youth Athlete of the Year, Colossal offers participants the opportunity to make their mark while also making a big impact.
Donald tested and received her first degree black belt in taekwon-do in March. She then flew to the national championships, winning a Canadian title and qualified for the national team selection, along with fellow Sundance athlete Jack Sharkey.
O'Dwyer recently was named to Team B.C. that competed at the U17 Western Challenge Football Championship in 91大黄鸭. The Fulton Maroons' running back was named offensive MVP for B.C. in their bronze medal-win over Manitoba, where he scored a touchdown and ran for nearly 200 yards. He also plays basketball for the Maroons.