Camp Hopewell

Tony and I took Amanda to Camp Hopewell in Oxford yesterday. This is her third year to go. I just can't brag enough about this camp. It is a time for her to go and be a kid and do all the activities that you would expect at a camp. It is staffed with a doctor and nurses.

When we check her in, we go to different stations that address different issues. One, of course, is the camp nurse. She checks her temperature and asks about any other illnesses, checks weight and height. Amanda not only has Type 1 Diabetes, but she has a blood disorder called Von Willebrands. Some of her platelets are inactive, so it may take a little more time to stop any bleeding. It is generally not a very big issue. It would generally take surgery or a very big injury for it to become an issue.

Another station is her cabin nurse. I think Amanda was quite relieved to see that she was her nurse from last year. The nurse could not believe how much Amanda had grown. She put her at ease right away. One of the issues that Amanda was nervous about was the fact that she has still not changed her own site. She knew that most kids her age were doing this. I'm hoping that she will get over that fear this week at camp and have that accomplishment to bring home with her. The camp encourages you to do something that you haven't done before. They never make you do something that you are not ready for. I talked to the camp doctor last year about when I should make her change her own site. She wisely told me that peer pressure will do that. And, sure enough, this year it has been a concern for her and she truly has tried to do it herself without me pushing for it. So, I know she WANTS to.

Another station that we visited had different vendors for different diabetic needs. But the one we visited that we were excited about was a Run for Hope. This is a 5K and Half Marathon Run that will be February 26. The money will be raised so that Camp Hopewell can offer full scholarships for every child with Type 1 Diabetes to go to camp. I'm tearing up as I write this. It is truly an experience I wouldn't want any child to miss. And currently the cost for camp is $390 per child for the week.

Well at the end she could go and join her cabin group and she hugged us said "goodbye" before we got too close to the group. I guess she didn't want us to walk her over there. Haha. She has friends that she has made from the first two years and I know she will come home with new friends this year.