United States
AT
AU
BE
CA
CH
CN
CZ
DE
DK
ES
FI
FR
GR
HR
HU
IE
IL
IN
IT
JP
NL
NO
PL
PT
RO
RU
SE
SK
TR
UK
ZA
Menu
Alert: Product and Recall NoticesTips For Finding The Right Diabetes Camp For Your Child
As the school year winds down, we begin to think about all of the activities that come along with warm weather and the summer months. Sporting activities, sleepovers, and summer camp are things that always seem to be topics of conversation. For kids with diabetes, diabetes camp is a great opportunity to not only get active and make new friends, but to also learn more about diabetes management. Today, we hear from MiniMed Ambassador, Phyllis Kaplan, about what going to camp has meant to her and how you can go about finding the right camp for your child. Please share your own tips for a successful diabetes camp experience in the comments below.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of two. The first camp I attended was a traditional day camp. As an 11-year-old kid with diabetes, traditional camp was not for me. I didn’t like the fact that they made a big deal out of everything related to diabetes. I wasn’t just a kid with diabetes going to camp. They didn’t understand it, and as such singled me out and made me feel different from everyone else. Yeah, I have diabetes, but I was also a kid who wanted to go swimming and do arts and crafts.
After that experience I asked my parents to try overnight camp, and we were lucky to find Camp Nejeda – an overnight camp in New Jersey for kids with T1D. It was at Camp Nejeda that I gave myself my own shot; that for once in my life I felt normal, like everyone else. No one made a big deal of a high or low blood sugar – it was treated without chaos, and life went on. Having diabetes was the norm, which was a great change. I ended up spending 12 summers there as a camper and staff member. This was my first diabetes community and I am still in touch with many of my fellow Nejeda alumni. Below are my tips for finding the right diabetes camp and ensuring that your child is prepared to have all of the wonderful experiences that I treasure so much.
How do you find a diabetes camp?
Diabetes Education and Camping Association has a great list of all of the camps for kids with diabetes in the United States and other countries. You can search by camp name or state:
https://www.diabetescamps.org/camp-finder
How do you know the camp is the right one?
Most camps have open houses, or visiting weekends. It’s a great idea to visit the camp and meet the staff in advance. Before my family decided Camp Nejeda was right for me, we visited their open house in the late spring. We got to tour the campus, ask our questions and get a real feel for the camp. It helped us get a sense of what camp was all about.
Is it safe?
Diabetes camps have medical professionals with diabetes management experience on staff. Counselors attend training as well, before the start of the camping season. Most camps incorporate diabetes education into camp activities as well.
How to prepare:
I hadn’t been away overnight without my parents before going to camp and had a rough time the first few nights with homesickness. Consider local sleep-overs if your child hasn’t been away without you before.
Some camps offer family camp or weekend camps as a first step to going away for a week or longer.
What to expect:
- Sense of belonging: Everyone at camp has either been trained on diabetes management, and/or has diabetes. The people without diabetes often feel like the odd man out, which is opposite of how people with diabetes feel most of the time.
- Learning: Even though the focus of camp is fun, most camps for kids with diabetes include an element of diabetes education in the program. For me, the hands on education with my peers made learning fun.
- Bonding: The friends you make at camp are your friends for life.
- Fun: It’s not just about diabetes! In fact, the focus isn’t on diabetes at all. It’s on arts and crafts, and sports and archery.
- Freedom: Due to the safe environment and the fact that everyone is tuned in to the ins and outs of diabetes, campers often feel free. Free to try new things; to spread their wings without having to worry about explaining a low blood sugar, or not feeling well due to having high blood sugar. Everyone gets it.
I hope you find these tips helpful and that your child is able to make new friends and build all of the same types of memories that I once did.
Editor’s Note: Medtronic Diabetes does not vet these camps. All camps should be vetted by patients before they choose to attend.
*The patient testimonial above relates an account of an individual’s response to treatment. The account is genuine, typical and documented. However, this patient’s response does not provide any indication, guide, warranty or guarantee as to the response other people may have to the treatment. The response other individuals have to the treatment could be different. Responses to the treatment can and do vary. Not every response is the same. Please talk to your doctor about your condition and the risks and benefits of these technologies.
Related Post
About Author
Editorial Team
LOOP Blog Editorial TeamAt Medtronic Diabetes our vision is to transform diabetes care together for greater freedom and better health. Each word in that statement is important – including the one “together”. We’re a group of passionate people working hard to make a big positive impact on the lives of those with diabetes. But we can’t do it alone. Collaboration is key. With healthcare providers, academic institutions, non-profits and other companies. And, most importantly, with you – the people who live with diabetes every day.
I just retired after 46 years of directing Camp Hertko Hollow, Iowa’s camp for youth with diabetes. It was my life as I thought about it 24/7. The camp grew from 37 to a high of 380 and benefited kids of all ages. Many of our campers became dedicated staff members and continue to return each year. It’s so rewarding to be with the campers as they enjoy the camp experience and learn about diabetes care. One chant we sing at our closing camp fire says it all: “You have given us friends, fun and knowledge. We love you so! “
I first drove myself to the Whittaker Forest camp (now Bearskin Meadow Camp) at 16 in 1955. That was the days of urine testing, diet cards and insulin lines. Blood testing and insulin pumps did not show up until years later. Then after 40 years as a volinteer with the Diabetic Youth Foundation I stepped back from after my Presidency. Karrie presents good information for families looking at diabetic camps. A diabetic child that has not had a camping experience misses an important self confidence building experience.
I remember going to camp chinnock in California when i was about 9. And i went for three years after that. Being there with everybody that was diabetic also made me realize that its ok to have diabetes and that i wasn’t the only one. That made my experience there and living with this disease so much more easier to deal and cope with. I recommend going if u had a chance too.
Hi!!! Great post, it is informative and beautifully articulated thanks for sharing :):):)
Camp Joslin brings back great memories of age 6 up to CIT (counselor in training) from the early 60’s into the 70’s. Great activities, including backpacking in the White Mountains, maybe my last year as a camper. The education was beneficial, but, wow, has daily life with T1D changed a ton since then!
I went to Camp Carowanis, a diabetes camp in Quebec, when I was diagnosed at age 11. Before breakfast, the routine was to line up at the “latrine but”, collect and test our urine. Then over to the “medical tent” where we again lined up and gathered our syringe and insulin and had under supervision, we injected ourselves. Then over to the “mess tent” where we gathered our “meal plan” card and we were given the appropriate amounts of carbs, protein and fat.
Activities were normal activities – swimming, arts & crafts, canoeing, archery, etc. we had campfires, singing, story telling – it was like a real camp, except for the diabetes-related activities which, being a diabetes camp, everyone had to participate in.
We also had official “diabetes 101” classes and I failed miserably :(. When I was initially diagnosed, my brother and sister were already Type 1s so the doc never gave me any instruction – guess she figured out that I would learn by example lol!
Something I found strange at Camp Carowanis, was that there were canteens nailed onto many trees distributed throughout the camp – these canteens contained coke syrup for emergencies whenever a camper felt a low sugar coming on.
I couldn’t even imagine what a diabetes camp would look like today since the entire routine of managing diabetes is so different from 44 years ago. I may just have to visit one over the summer
Loved reading your article … Thx for posting! I learned so much from attending that diabetes camp way back when and it really put me on the road to independence living with T1 (my bro and sis were NOT at the camp with me).