I met this author when she was a Counselor in Training, my first summer at camp and her twelfth summer. We all learn from each other at camp!
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As a young child, I remember counting down the days every year until I went to camp in June. By the time May came, I was so excited I could barely sleep at night, opening my window wide and imagining how the night mountain air would smell and the joy of seeing my friends who also had diabetes like me.
I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1985 at 5 years old, and 6 months later in 1986, I spent my first summer at Bearskin Meadow Camp. Primarily, my time at camp taught me how to succeed at living with diabetes and encouraged me to try new ways to manage my condition (for instance, I began using an insulin pump at 15 because I had seen so many others at camp using them). Throughout my summer adventures at camp, I shared my experience of having diabetes with hundreds (perhaps thousands) of others who were experiencing the same challenges as I was. An additional benefit of being a part of camp was that at camp, I felt secure and calm in a way that I had never felt in my home life; at camp, I was wrapped up in a safe cocoon of friends and caregivers who eventually became like a second family to me. This feeling of security inspired me to try new things that I never would have done had I not become a part of the Bearskin family, like climbing Mt. Whitney, a mountain nearly 15,000 feet tall in California, and traveling to Bearskin’s sister camp in Chile to work as a counselor.
Undoubtedly, I could never have become the successful 29 year old professional I am today without my experiences at camp. Not only did camp connect me with others who can truly understand me because they also live with diabetes, it also transformed my life by exposing me to new life paths, some of which were related to diabetes but some of which were not. I continue to lean on the support of my friends from camp today and plan to continue my connection with camp for the rest of my life.
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If you have the opportunity to give someone you know the chance to go to camp, please take it. It may be a word of encouragement to nervous parents, or a whisper in a child’s ear that these places exist for them to think about. If you’ve been to camp and have had a similar experience, share it here, or share it with someone in a position to share your experiences beyond the people you know, like a doctor or other medical professional. You never know how sharing your experiences can benefit someone else!
If you don’t know someone who could benefit, consider the Diabetic Youth Foundation or Iron Andy. These nonprofit organizations exist to send kids to camp and improve their confidence, expand their horizons, and enable them to grow and be happy with themselves while they learn ways to cope with life and living with diabetes. You really can change their lives for the better.
-Amy
A fantastic article especially for a Mom who’s daughter has had diabetes for 24 yrs. Bearshin Meadows Camp has been a tremdous help for her in experiencing fellowship, education, and love with other diabetics. She has grown to be educated toward her diabetes regement and has a fantastic attitude which shows others that you are like everyone else. If you treat the disease with a positive outlook, and work closely with the doctors and nurses, With that esperince and knowledge to control your disease great things in life can be achieved. Diabetes teaching children to be responsible, independent, and a commpassionate individual. The Camp exerience is essential for all type 1 diabetics.