Our kids can’t wait!
Children and teens with diabetes can’t wait to get to summer camp. “Camp is the one week out of the whole year I can feel totally normal. That means nobody looks at me sideways when I am giving myself a shot, I don't have to explain myself to everybody, and I don't have to worry about whether or not I forgot my blood sugar meter or insulin. I feel so at peace when I am at camp. It's like Heaven on Earth. When I get down on myself about having diabetes, I look at camp pictures and listen to camp songs. Camp is just so fun! I used to think ‘Why me? Why do I have to live with this diabetes?’ But camp has changed my views on life. Now I like to think, ‘Why not me?’ Until there’s a cure, there’s Camp Kudzu!”
Camp Kudzu is Georgia’s single largest resource, outside hospitals and clinics, for diabetes self-management education. Only at Camp Kudzu can children and teens with diabetes find mentors in every cabin, peers who can become lifelong supportive friends, and around-the-clock lessons on good medical self-management from doctors and nurses who deliver care in cabins, ball fields, gyms and on trails. About 600 children attend summer camp, over 70 families come to family camp weekends, and dozens of teens gather for weekend programs. The results: young and old gain strength and learn to deal in the present with a disease that poses challenges almost hourly.
Camp Kudzu serves Georgia's children, teens and families with type 1 diabetes. Camp brings to mind fresh air…laughter heard across a lake…starry skies…children running, climbing, swimming and looking up to caring adults. Camp provides a sense of community. The children, teens and families who take part in Camp Kudzu's programs learn that they are not alone in their struggle with diabetes. Camp Kudzu offers summer camp, family weekends, and teen retreats. The focus is on fun, but the lessons learned regarding diabetes self-management skills are critical to long-term health. Children who have access to quality diabetes management education at a young age can reduce their risk of diabetes-related complications. Camp provides vital education in a setting that gives each child the best chance of practicing lessons learned. We all await a cure. Until that day comes,
Camp Kudzu helps our young people live life
to the fullest. |
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