Beth Shuff is a camp parent who also spent the week at Camp Setebaid as a counselor. This is what the week looked like to her.
Remembering the first time I held each of my children, I was in awe. That is how I felt the week at camp. Instead of it being my children it was your children, and the staff; from the Medical staff, diabetes educators, Dietitians, the camp volunteers, CIT's (shout out) and the campers. This place is amazing and what is being offered to these awesome kids is invaluable.
Birds of a feather, flock together. At camp, children with diabetes are with their peers. Anyone carrying a testing kit, wearing a pump or giving injections are their peers. They share a bond glued together by BG, pumps, and injections. My two weeks were filled with great memories. It was amazing to witness the connection the campers had to each other, and to their counselors. Throughout the week the younger female campers could be heard saying things like, "Mine is purple! Yours is pink!" It didn't matter the person they were talking to was a 16-year-old CIT. Conversations would ensue, discussing the color options of their insulin pumps, what kinds they had tried, whether they had a DexCom or a diabetes App on their phone. I might as well have been in a foreign country because the campers were speaking a language I could hardly begin to understand as a nondiabetic.
As parents we know how to fix our children's boo-boos. We can learn how to manage their diabetes, but unless we have it we can never comprehend what their life is like living with diabetes on a daily basis. I came away in awe, especially for my daughter. Besides being the Camp Director, she was among her peers, from 8 to 17 and beyond. They understood each other on a level I could never understand. That is what Camp Setebaid looked like to me as a parent who sent our daughter to camp.
So what does happen at camp? The same thing that happens at any summer camp. They play Rocks (a capture the flag game), they go swimming, hiking, explore nature, arts and crafts, campfires, soccer games, archery, zip lining, camp songs, etc. Oh wait, and Gaga, the all-time favorite camp game. However, Camp Setebaid is so much more. They learn that they have a support system, some may learn to give a shot for the first time, or use a pump. I tear up seeing the support they give to each other.
My experience is just a small snippet of all the possibilities that can take place when your child goes to diabetes camp, specifically Camp Setebaid. Our goals as parents is to let our children succeed, to flourish and reach for the stars. There is an African proverb that has been used before that states, "It takes a village to raise a child" and when you have a child with diabetes, consider diabetes camp as part of your village.
Beth Shuff, parent and camp counselor