CAMP OFFERS FUN APPROACH TO EDUCATING YOUNG DIABETICS

JACKSON -- Michael Aden stared intently at the nutrition information on the box of crackers.

The brown-haired Cape Girardeau boy is only 6, but he already knows what a carbohydrate is, how many he can have a day and that a serving of these Cat Dog Cheese Nips could fit into the diet plan used to help control his diabetes.

"All right," he said as he slipped the box back on the shelf.

Michael and 17 other diabetic children were learning the importance of reading food labels Friday during the final afternoon of two-day Camp Day Break. The program is for children ages 6 to 12 who have diabetes, a disorder that affects the body's insulin production and causes fluctuating blood sugar levels.

Campers, all wearing bright yellow shirts with pink lettering, were led through the aisles of Schapers IGA in Jackson by dietitians explaining how to read nutrition labels and compare products.

"The younger they learn the importance of good nutrition and controlling diabetes, the fewer health problems these kids will have down the road," said Janet Stewart, a patient educator at Southeast Missouri Hospital who led the camp held at the Main Street Fitness Center in Jackson.

So the camp concentrates on educating the children, but in a fun, activity-oriented way.

For instance, it's important for diabetics to pair foods correctly so they get the right amounts of carbohydrates and proteins at each meal. So a food relay was set up in which campers on rolling boards zigzagged around a course, picking up the correct combination of food items.

That was Cassy Campbell's favorite activity. This was the Jackson elementary school student's first year at the camp. She not only had a good time, she overcame some hurdles.

The purple ribbon she sported meant she had started giving herself insulin injections, something encouraged at the camp.

"When kids can give themselves injections, rather than relying on their parents to do it, it means a lot more independence for them," Stewart said. "They can go on sleepovers, choose the place they give the shot, give themselves injections at school. It means they don't always have to have their parents nearby."

Most of the children at the camp had earned their purple ribbons. Jeremy Voshage, a 9-year-old from Jackson, said it was scary when he first began giving himself injections two years ago. Now he's an old pro at it and, like most of the older campers, encourages and helps younger campers with the task.

In fact, that interaction between children with diabetes is one reason many parents send their youngsters to the camp.

Michael and Pamela Reed of Neelyville brought their daughter Hope to the camp, spending the night here Thursday night so she could go both days.

"We wanted her to see she's not the only child with diabetes," Pamela Reed said. Hope, 7, was diagnosed with diabetes last November and Pamela Reed said it's been a difficult adjustment for her daughter.

"But the camp has been wonderful," Pamela Reed said. "Hope loves it."

Clint Heuer, 6, from Cape Girardeau, said he didn't know any other children with diabetes before coming to the camp, but at the end of two days, he had made lots of friends.

Louise Ivers, 10, brought her own friend, 9-year-old Jordan Seabaugh. Jordan doesn't have diabetes but she wanted to help her friend who does. So when the pair returns to school at St. Vincent de Paul Grade School, Jordan will have the knowledge to help Louise should she have problems.

Toward the end of the afternoon Friday, Aden, Heuer and Voshage were taking a break, eating a snack and looking forward to a water balloon fight that was to the be camp's final activity. Except for the Medic Alert bracelets each wore and the healthiness of the snack, they were like any other summer campers.

"This camp gives these kids a normal camp experience," Stewart said, "but it offers these kids a place where the people who are different are those who don't take shots."