SUMMER CAMP FOR DIABETIC CHILDREN

Abstract

ECENT surveys indicate that there are at least one million persons in the United States who are known to have diabetes, and that another million persons have diabetes without knowing it. The Committee on Statistics of the American Diabetes Association estimates that there are approximately 26,500 juvenile diabetics. Of these, about 20,000 are under 15 years of age and approximately 6500 are between the ages of 15 and 20. In 1925 Dr. Leonard F. C. Wendt of Detroit conceived the idea of summer camps for diabetic children. Today there are 22 such camps in this country and Canada; they accommodate close to 2000 children each year. Camp Nyda, sponsored by the New York Diabetes Association (an affiliate of the American Diabetes Association) is one of these. Located in the cool Shawangunk Mountains, 70 miles from New York City, it is the only camp of its kind which serves diabetic children from the New York metropolitan area. This is a non-profit-making camp and it is maintained by voluntary contributions. Children are accommodated regardless of race, creed, or their ability to pay. Expenses for running such camps tend to be higher than those of ordinary camps because of the additional laboratory facilities, medications, and medical and nursing personnel that they require. These facilities are needed so that adequate clinical supervision can be carried out, insulin can be given, food measured, urine analyses can be done regularly, and complete records can be kept without impinging on the camping program. When one is observing the activities of the healthy looking, robust, alert, active youngsters at Camp Nyda, it is hard to distinguish the schedule of a diabetic camp from that of any well-run summer camp. The children take part in land and water sports, handicrafts, dramatics, and social activities. At camp the diabetic child finds himself among others who have similar problems. Group activity and group living give him the opportunity to develop group spirit and the maturity that comes with a camp experience and being away from home. He is encouraged to achieve the physical skills of other children his age. Too many of these children are overprotected by their families and they need the kind of guidance that Camp Nyda offers to help them function independently and to gain confidence and self-reliance. As part of the camp's rehabilitation program, world famous tennis stars William Talbert and Hamilton Richardson, who are both diabetics, make a visit each season to prove to diabetic children that they need not be chronic invalids.