Cochranite Greg Kierzek remembers a time in his own life where he wasn’t comfortable sharing his diabetes diagnosis with many people.
“I generally kept my diabetes under wraps,” said the pediatric nurse, who is on the medical team at Diabetes Canada’s Camp Jean Nelson D Camp in Water Valley, for children with type 1 diabetes.
“I met this kid here the first year ... (he asked), ‘Why do you hide it? That sort of made me cry. Every year, I meet kids here that I learn new things from.”
Every summer, week-long D-Camps take place across the country for youth with type 1 diabetes – a disease Kierzek said is often misunderstood by family, friends and social groups.
“A lot of them feel segregated,” said Kierzek, adding the experience is designed to normalize life for youth. “It’s so nice just meeting other people – this is a place where everybody is treated exactly the same.”
Since staff help kids to check blood sugars every night and keep an eye on their diets, Kierzek said the camps provide a safe haven for parents, too.
“This is a great place (for) these kids.”
