COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Insulin prices are on the rise, and it could have a big impact on the growing number of people with diabetes in the U.S.

A recent study conducted by the Journal of The American Medical Association shows the average price of insulin nearly tripled in a decade. Researchers say patients spent around $231 in 2002. That yearly cost in 2013 was $736.

NBC4 spoke to a local mom whose son is taking a stand for families who can’t afford the cost.

Nine-year-old Carter Jones looks like your average kid. He loves sports–baseball is his favorite. But Carter lives with a chronic condition that over a million Americans live with as well: Type 1 Diabetes.

“He’s been on an insulin pump ever since he was four,” said Carter’s mother, Jennifer Jones.

Jennifer Jones knows firsthand what it’s like to pay for insulin medication every month. Her son Carter was diagnosed when he was just 22 months old. Seven years later, some days are still a struggle.

“We kind of had a laundry list of them. Most foremost is the daily battle of keeping his blood sugars at a good range. Insulin is something that has to be taken with every meal and everything that he eats. We do monitor that through the insulin pump,” Jones says.

Luckily for Jones, her insurance covers a majority of her son’s prescription cost. But some diabetes patients aren’t so fortunate.

Carter wants to help those in need. He’s even taking the issue to Capitol Hill, serving as a child Congress delegate for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

“To meet and discuss the challenges of being diabetic and asking them to help support medical bills, especially things like insulin prices.”

The pint-size diabetes advocate taking a stance for medication that helps keep him and others alive.

If you or someone you know is having trouble paying for medications and supplies, there are financial assistance programs available.