Apply for a Camp Midicha Scholarship

This Summer, D.R.E.A.M. wants to give kids the opportunity to attend Camp Midicha. If you are an aspiring camper, please apply for a scholarship sponsored by D.R.E.A.M. Camp Midicha Scholarship Application: Apply for the D.R.E.A.M. Scholarship.

For more information, visit: Camp Midicha’s Website. 

When Tyler was newly diagnosed, Camp Midicha made an enormous impact on his diabetes journey.

When I was 10 years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I didn’t even know what diabetes was, except that it had the word “die” in it. Shortly afterward, when I went back to school after a 3 day hospital stay, I met 3 other students in my school who also had type 1 diabetes. We weren’t allowed to prick our fingers to test our blood sugars in the classroom, so in middle school, the 4 of us would walk down to the office everyday to test our blood sugar before lunch. Every day, at lunch, I always felt different than everyone else. 

This feeling changed when I attended the American Diabetes Association’s Camp Midicha--an overnight camp for kids with type 1 diabetes. As a teenager, I was fortunate to go to Camp Midicha for 4 summers, where every single kid there was like me, with type 1 diabetes. The day I arrived, I was introduced to my camp group--10 other kids my age who also had type 1, and also my camp counselor, who would become a mentor and role model for me.  I felt a sense of belonging, right then. There’s a different level of connection you have with people who you know are dealing with the same things as you, especially type 1 diabetes. 

Every morning, before breakfast, the camp would come together in the main hall. I had never seen so many insulin pumps, test kits, syringes, sugar tabs or bottles of apple juice all in one place. It was so interesting to see how other people managed their routine. Pricking their fingers, or toes; measuring servings of food, and looking at their plate with that look in their eyes thinking, how many carbohydrates is this and how much insulin should I give myself? 

But before we all started the day, there were announcements, which were so encouraging and motivating for me! Sally, a newly diagnosed 6 year old girl, changed her insulin pump site for the first time on her own. The whole camp clapped, cheered and shouted words of encouragement to her. Tommy pricked his toe to test his blood sugar because his fingers had too many callouses. Out of the ordinary, but it worked for Tommy! I usually needed help to put my insulin pump on, because I was afraid to do it by myself. The night before, I had put my insulin pump on my arm for the first time. Everyone in my cabin sat around my bunk, watching, encouraging, motivating me to do it on my own. This was after months of my doctor and parents telling me it was time to move the site somewhere else besides my stomach; too much scar tissue was building up for the insulin to control my blood sugar. After a week of all of this, I was astounded. I couldn’t wait to show my parents and tell my doctor about my pump site on my arm. 

At camp, these are the kinds of things kids can achieve when they are with other kids like themselves and going through the same kind of experiences. And this is just the tip of the iceberg from the many, many, complexities of managing type 1 diabetes; all were covered during my week long stays at Camp Midicha. On top of all the fun and adventure any other summer camp has to offer--a lake with a blob, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, hikes and campfires surrounded by new, lifelong friends and much more. When I was 14, my camp group even went on a road trip to Pennsylvania for even more adventurous experiences, including white water rafting, paintball, and mountain biking.

After only a week at camp each year, afterwards I felt so much better about living with type 1 diabetes. I gained life-long friends and relationships, learned new ways to manage my diabetes, and even started to pursue a career in the diabetes community.