Camp

I am packing and getting ready for diabetic camp. This camp is a day camp by my parents house and I have been going for 10 years. I LOVE camp. I went there as a kid newly diagnosed and now go there as an adult to help work it. I can not express the importance of camp enough to parents. This is the one place I feel normal, I don't feel alone and everyone there is going through the exact same thing as me. The camp I go to is completely free for all diabetic children and their siblings as long as the siblings are diabetic for the week (have to check, go to education and carb count just like their Dsiblings). This camp is run by an all volunteer staff with nursing students from the local college. I love that the students go through the camp b/c I feel they learn so much more there then they would ever learn in the classroom. The students get hands on experience dealing with type 1 kids. They have fun but most importantly they get real world experience in how to handle type 1 diabetes b/c we all know T1 does not follow the book and we are all different. Kids with medical problems really benefit going to med camps. After my nephew was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy we found a camp nearby and we signed him up. Last week was his second year going to MD camp and he won the camper award. He LOVES camp also even though right now his disease has not progressed and he is showing no outward symptoms it will someday. At medical camps kids learn about their disease, how to handle it both medically but also emotionally. And most importantly kids make friendships that last a lifetime with others who are going through the exact same thing. I have friends from camp who I can call or text or write on facebook about the pitfalls and triumphs of diabetes and there is no judgement just kind words. I can lean on them and when something happens like when I broke a bottle of insulin and couldn't get a new one they are there to spot me. My parents also loved camp. They met other parents who were a great support. So parents research and find some camps for your kids they will have a blast, and learn about diabetes, and make a ton of friends.