In the Wild at Camp Ho Mita Koda

My capstone site at Camp Ho Mita Koda in Newbury, OH is for children with Type 1 Diabetes. The camp sessions usually span Sunday to Thursday, but for older kids there is a 2 week session. The focus of the camp is for children to have fun participating in activities while adequately managing their diabetes. Our first week was training. We got to meet the other nurses we would be working with along with the counselor staff. I had never been to a camp before besides one overnight for girl scouts. So living in a cabin with three other girls and no air conditioning or attached bathroom facilities, would definitely be an experience. I was looking forward to “roughing it” though.

The first actual week of camp was an adjustment as many of the staff was new and policies had been changed since the last summer. Every day was a chance to learn related to prioritizing and flexibility. My classmate, Chavon and I operated by the principle, “just go with the flow”. Once a few days went by and we went to various activities with the kids, the treatment policies became easier to remember. Also, we participated in a variety of the activities with the kids, such as boating, pool time, drama, archery, and sports.

While at home, most of the kids are not involved in as much physical activity. Many of the parents worry about their kid’s blood glucose management while exercising. Thus, the parents end up restricting a majority of physical activity that kids would most likely benefit from. We asked one of the campers what he does at home for fun. His response was “play video games…my mom doesn’t like me playing outside because I get low”. This informal encounter really showed Chavon and me the effect of diabetes on a child’s life.

I’m looking forward to the weeks at hand. I think it is a lot more beneficial to learn about diabetes or any other disease from a primary source, instead of a lecture. Assimilating into the camp “culture” definitely provides us with a different perspective of diabetes and how it affects individuals.