Type 1 Diabetes Camp for Children
Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. It affects people of all ages and can be diagnosed at any age. It also requires constant management of maintaining normal blood sugar levels, insulin, therapy, diet, and more.
There are many challenges for individuals with T1D across the globe and we see many similarities with the T1D community in India and Latin America. Accurate information among these populations about T1D isn’t commonly known and our hope is to eliminate the negative stigma and support initiatives that help the needs of the T1D community through education while empowering those with T1D to live healthy and thriving lives despite their diagnosis.
Our goal is to raise $20,000 to support a camp for children with T1D hosted by Diabetes LATAM, a foundation that organizes programs to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents with T1D in Panama and Latin America.
The main objectives of the camp are as follows:
Contribute to reducing burnout from T1D, depression, and other psychological by-products of T1D
Increase and improve existing T1D control, knowledge, skills, and positive coping
Help children and parents gain independence knowing that they can be well, happy, and apart from each other for a few days
Give parents a break from managing their children’s T1D
Expose health professionals to the time, energy, and resources that children with T1D have to invest to manage their condition in a daily basis
Build a network of campers who have fun and support each other both at camp and after camp
Reduce the feeling of isolation in children with T1D
Change the perception that T1D-controlled decisions are only made by health professionals
Change the perception that children and families with T1D are “good” or “bad” depending on their results from the HbA1c (glycosylated hemoglobin) test, generally performed every 12 weeks
Prevent healthcare professionals from scolding children and families for not having an HbA1c result within their perceived ideal goal when they attend their consultations
And more!
By supporting the success of this camp and Diabetes LATAM’s initiative, and through your support, we hope to make a positive impact to facilitate similar programs in India and other underserved T1D communities in the future!