by Richmond mom Sue Ayers, freelance writer and training designer.
When Emily was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in January, we knew that some things may not be possible – at least for a while. One of which was summer camp. She had expressed interest in attending summer camp like her older sister did and I was thinking about signing her up this year. I always loved going to summer camp as a kid. I learned independence, teamwork, and how to get along with lots of total strangers – many of whom became BFFs by the end of the session.
But there was no way I could send Emily to summer camp this year. I wasn’t going to take any chances letting camp counselors be responsible for giving her insulin, checking her sugar, recognizing lows, dealing with highs and being able to care for her in an emergency. Summer camp was out!
Or so I thought!
Imagine my surprise when I found out about Camp Jordan, a summer camp for Type 1 kids located right off of 64 at the West Point exit. I talked with Emily and she seemed really interested in going so we dashed off an application and the payment. The payment, by the way, is extremely reasonable in my humble opinion, particularly because all medications and paraphernalia are included.. This means that I brought no insulin, no glucose meter, no testing strips, no lancing devices, no ketone strips, no glucagon pen – nothing! All items are included.
We arrived at the designated time on July 15th and I was amazed at how many camp counselors were in attendance. There seemed to be more counselors than campers! As we waited in line to check in, some of the experienced parents told me that the counselors are trained and that Emily would be in good hands.
We checked in and then saw a nurse. Then we discussed Emily’s other medication with an EMT. Then we checked in with one doctor and met with two more to have Emily’s weight and other vitals recorded. Everything ran so smoothly! One Richmond mom asked her daughter, who is a few years older than Emily, to keep an eye out for my girl since this was her first year. All Type 1 moms know how frightening it is to leave their kid anywhere – school, play dates, sleepovers, etc., so she knew I would appreciate someone watching out for Emily for ten days at camp.
We walked down to Laurel Hall and Emily chose her bunk and met her roommates and counselor. There was one counselor to three girls in a cabin. She told me that she would be waking Emily up at 2:00 a.m. for a glucose check until the doctors said it could be safely eliminated. Then it was time to say goodbye – I wouldn’t see her again for ten days. We’d never been apart for that long – ever!
Emily wrote me a few letters throughout the week and told me what a great time she was having. She made friends, loved the food and was having an awesome time. I checked the camp website voraciously looking for photos of Em to make sure she looked happy. And she did. Because she’s a kid and she’s at camp where kids are supposed to get away and learn independence and team work and just have fun.
So while there were no S’mores or camp stores filled with chips and cookies, there was the same camp spirit of camaraderie, talent shows, sing-a-longs and campfires, archery, and canoeing along with checking out one another’s infusion sites for insulin pumps and yelling out “hey, what’s your blood sugar”. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need to have those last few things at summer camp but in the life of a Type 1 kid, we do. And we make the very best of it.
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