Campers with type 1 diabetes learned how to manage their blood sugar and have a blast at Camp Kakhamela, which ran from July 3 to 15 at YMCA Camp Elphinstone.
Ted Lockie, manager of camp and youth programs in Western Canada for the Canadian Diabetes Association, said it’s important for kids with type 1 diabetes to learn that there are other kids out there facing the same challenges.
“Type 1 diabetes is quite rare in the grand scheme,” Lockie said. “So most of our campers would be the only kid in their school – or in their community or on their baseball team – who live with type 1 diabetes.”
There were 150 campers at Camp Kakhamela this year. Kids 12 and under attend a six-day session, which runs twice. Kids who are 13 and up attend a 12-day session bridging the same two week period.
“There’s a benefit to them to see that other kids who are on baseball teams and who go to school have the same challenges, and it helps develop some self-esteem and some awareness that they’re not alone.”
From a more practical standpoint, Lockie added, the children are learning how to count carbohydrates and dose their insulin in the right quantities.
“We’re helping those kids move towards independent self-management of their diabetes,” Lockie said.
Other than that, it’s a regular summer camp. There’s kayaking, canoeing, swimming, sailing, a high ropes course, a low ropes course, archery and field games like capture the flag.
Registration for next year starts in January at www.dcamps.ca
There’s also a full list of programs offered for kids with diabetes.
