I spent last week assisting with the 22nd annual
Camp Porcupine camp for children with diabetes at the Greenwood YMCA. This camp is sponsored by Self Regional and
is a great opportunity for children with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to come and
learn more about diabetes, meals and carbohydrates, and physical activity. Each year the campers have a great time and
enjoy getting to spend time with other children affected by diabetes. As an assistant professor with Presbyterian
College School of Pharmacy, I usually take students in their last year of pharmacy
school along with me to the camp so they can get hands on experience dealing
with and managing Type 1 diabetes since many students don’t get a lot of
exposure to this condition (and because we can use all the help we can get with
keeping track of and entertaining these energetic children!). At the beginning of the week, the students
can be a little reserved. Deep down,
they know what they are doing with checking blood sugars and administering
insulin based on blood glucose results and carbs to be consumed, but dealing
with a live, giggling and bouncing person as opposed to a theoretical person on
a piece of paper takes a little bit of time to get used to. They are always amazed at how comfortable the
campers are with managing their diabetes. Many of them can count carbs so fast
and can calculate the amount of insulin needed even faster. We are out there with calculators checking
and double checking insulin doses while the kids are chuckling because they have
done the math in their heads and know what dose they need long before we come
to the final conclusion. It never ceases
to amaze the students and me how knowledgeable and responsible some of the
campers are. While the pharmacy students
and I participate in the camp to hopefully help teach the kids a thing or two they
didn’t already know about diabetes, every year we actually learn something from
the campers, too. Below, I have listed
some of the fun lessons we have gleaned while participating with Camp
Porcupine.
Glucose tablets aren’t as delicious as they
sound.
There is never enough allotted time in the day
to relax and go swimming!
You are never too old to go roller skating or
swing from a high platform on a ropes course.
Silly string and water balloons should really be
incorporated into activities more often!
Being active outside in the heat is not
preferred. However, once you get out there and start having fun, you forget
about the temperature and start to enjoy yourself.
Sometimes it’s difficult to sit still and take
care of yourself when all your friends are out having fun, but it’s a necessary
task in order to keep yourself healthy.
Trying new things (food, activities, etc.) isn’t
so bad. You might actually learn to like something you didn’t think you would
enjoy.
Sometimes meeting new people is a little
strange. But once you realize they are going through life challenges just like you,
it’s easy to quickly become good friends.
I think we can all learn a lot from these children and apply
these concepts to multiple aspects of our daily lives. Special thanks to Rebecca Wise and Therese
Moore for all they do in preparing for and organizing the camp. The Camp
Porcupine children wouldn’t have this great opportunity if it wasn’t for all
their hard work!