By Rebbeca Marroquin

9-year friendship formed out of diabetes camp

Aug 15, 2017 | 1:34 PM

Two young men, who once thought they were alone in their illnesses, formed a special friendship at a very special camp.

Over 80 kids living with Type 1 Diabetes have come this week to D-Camp in Christopher Lake. The camp welcomes young people from all over the province to camp for six days without experiencing the stigma of their disease.

Roughly nine years ago, Elijah Stempien and George Ren met while playing cards. Ren said the two became friends when he saw another camper picking on Stempien and stood up for him. They’ve shared a room at D-Camp every year since 2008, and because they are both from Saskatoon, they stay in contact outside of the camp. Now, they are part of the Leadership Development Team together. 

Both said they were the only ones diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in their schools.

“I was still very uncomfortable with my diabetes when I [first] got here. I was a little nervous, it was my first time being away from home,” Stempien said. “[Camp] helped me realize that it’s not just me. There’s a lot of people who understand what I’m going through which was really comforting and not only that, but also helped me adjust to my diabetes”

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Ren also credits the camp for making him more comfortable with his disease.

“Camp has really helped me to explore myself,” he said. “I probably would’ve been less independent during my youth with my diabetes management”

Danielle Mcvicar, coordinator of camp and youth programs with Diabetes Canada, said the goal of the camp is to teach independent management of Type 1 diabetes, create friendships, improve self-esteem and create a safe camp experience for kids. The D-camp in Quest at Christopher Lake is one of 12 others in the country.

Kids have the opportunity to go rock climbing, tubing, canoeing, play laser tag, and sleep in a cabin with other kids of the same gender and age.

 “This is important to me because I feel that diabetes can sometimes be an isolating disease, and so it’s great to have a community of other people here that understand what Type 1 diabetes is,” she said.

Mcvivar is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and has been working for Diabetes Canada for over a decade. She said every camper, counsellor, and supervisor is diagnosed too.

“We hope that every kid in Saskatchewan that lives with type 1 has the opportunity to come here and to meet other kids living with Type 1.”

rebbeca.marroquin@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @becamarroquin