Story reprinted from the Mankato Free Press, Sunday, August 1, 2010

Camp gives youngsters the

SWEET LIFE

Day camp for kids with diabetes to become annual event

Story and photos by John Cross

jcross@mankatofreepress.com
The day camp held Friday at the Norseland Scout Camp in Nicollet County was like most any other with youngsters hik­ing down the paths, playing camp games, geocaching and sitting around the campfire.

The only notable difference was that when lunch time rolled around, every one of the 27 campers took the time to check their blood sugar levels before lunch was served.

The campers age 5-13 were par­ticipating in the first- ever Camp Sweet Life, a day camp for young­sters with Type 1 Diabetes.

Youth from six area counties attended the camp sponsored by the Mankato Clinic Foundation and Medtronics.

And while they were participat­ing in outdoor camp activities, their parents were able to learn from rep­resentatives from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation about support systems and resources they can access for help in dealing with their children’s disease. Camp Sweet Life Director Vickie Parsons, a nurse practitioner at the Mankato Clinic, said the camp will become an annual event.

“It’s all about kids having fun out­doors just like all the other kids,” she said. “ They shouldn’t be denied from enjoying the outdoors just because they have diabetes.”