Event raising funds for Diabetes Canada camps

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This article was published 26/05/2022 (1580 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Danielle Olson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was just 18 months old.

When Olson, now 18, wakes up in the morning, she needs to check her blood-sugar levels and before she eats anything, insulin is required. Her insulin pump is attached 24-7 for her health and safety. As a precaution, she inked her first tattoo at the age of 16 — a medical alert detailing her condition and the date of her diagnosis.

“It’s just how life has been. I don’t remember anything before it,” Olson said.

As a Type 1 diabetic, Olson’s pancreas produces no insulin, making her insulin-dependent. Her diagnosis is also autoimmune-related. People diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes have a pancreas that still produces insulin but not enough to have a healthy balance, so they may need insulin as support.

“Diabetes in general, I feel like a lot of people don’t really know the difference or what it really is,” she said.

Olson’s diabetes diagnosis is unique as there is no family history of diabetes in the family, said her mom, Jamie Olson. Danielle Olson began showing symptoms of the disease about a week before her diagnosis, including lethargy and being constantly thirsty.

“She would cry at night for more to drink,” Jamie Olson said.

Danielle Olson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after a trip to the emergency room. After her diagnosis, the Olson family spent three days at the diabetes clinic for children and adolescents learning how to take care of her.

The family’s life has never been the same.

“We didn’t know a thing about it, and until you’re thrown into it, you’re not going to know much about it. It’s like that with any disease,” Jamie Olson said.

Throughout elementary and middle school, she was the only student with Type 1 diabetes, Danielle Olson said. She has been wearing an insulin pump since she was six years old.

Danielle Olson was unable to go to “normal” summer camps as a child because of her diabetes, she said, but was able to attend Diabetes Canada Camp Briardale — a summer getaway designed for youth living with diabetes.

She began attending the camps when she was 11. It was the first time she was away from home without parental supervision.

Danielle Olson cherished the experience because for the first time, she got to spend time with young people who also had diabetes. It was neat to be at a camp with other girls her age who had similar life experiences.

They were also able to bond and compare notes on their experiences with diabetes such as the pump they used for insulin.

“It felt like a normal summer camp — we just all had diabetes,” Danielle Olson said.

To this day, she still keeps in touch with all her camp friends, including her close friend Drew, whom she met her first time attending Camp Briardale.

“They’re learning. They’re around their peers. They learn how to count carbs when they eat their meals. They’re all doing it together, so it’s not like you feel like the odd man and you have to go to the corner and take care of your diabetes,” Jamie Olson said, adding she appreciated the camp as a parent because she knew her daughter was safe with trained professionals taking care of her.

Camp Briardale has been a positive space in her life, Danielle Olson said, and helped shape what she hopes to pursue as a career.

Danielle Olson is graduating from Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School in June and will be pursuing an education in nursing at Brandon University in the fall.

She wants to go into nursing because of the wide variety of skills she can gain while being able to help other people. She said being around so many nurses and doctors while growing up also influenced her decision.

She is especially looking forward to the Diabetes Canada camps because she can volunteer as a counsellor while training to be a nurse.

“I’m going from being the camper to being the nurse at the camp.

“I’m excited.”

She will be on hand for the inaugural Westman Flame of Hope Golf Tournament on June 10 to detail her experiences growing up as a Type 1 diabetic. She said she wanted to be a part of the tournament because it is critical to raise awareness and funds for youth to attend the Diabetes Canada camps.

The Westman community has rallied around the inaugural Westman Flame of Hope Golf Tournament, said Kelly Lambkin, manager of community engagement for Manitoba, Nunavut and Saskatchewan with Diabetes Canada.

May is recognized nationally as Camp Month by Diabetes Canada. The organization runs medically supervised camp programs for youth living with diabetes across the country.

The non-profit saw the tournament as an opportunity to raise awareness for the Manitoba-based Camp Briardale.

“We thought it would be a great opportunity to sort of break into Westman,” Lambkin said. “After two years of COVID, it’s a really good opportunity to get back in person and get back to normal and start connecting again and supporting one and other.”

Organizers are hoping to raise $30,000 during the tournament to send youth to camps while raising awareness about diabetes in the community and connecting families that may not have had the chance to meet.

Diabetes is prevalent in the community — there are 412,000 Manitobans living with Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. Type 1 accounts for about seven to eight per cent of those living with diabetes in Manitoba.

For youth, diabetes can be an isolating and challenging diagnosis, Lambkin said. At times, they may be the only ones in their community or school living with the chronic disease, making it important to build networks of support.

“It’s incredibly important to bring the community together and host events, as well as provide support programs throughout the year,” Lambkin said.

The Manitoba Diabetes Camp is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022. The camp is fully medically supervised by endocrinologists and dietitians. Lambkin noted youth see many familiar faces, as the endocrinologists are specialists they work with throughout the year.

The camp features swimming, rock climbing, canoeing and other typical summer activities.

She said the camp serves as a respite for families as well, giving parents a chance to have a break.

“It’s an opportunity for the kids to come together and build lifelong friendships. They build the confidence to self-manage, quite often our kids are able to leave camp having injected insulin for the first time on their own,” Lambkin said. “You can just be a kid and have some fun with other kids that are dealing with the same thing.”

At press time, the tournament still had open spots and is encouraging golfers to register through diabetes.ca/westmanflameofhope. Tickets are $150 for a single player or $600 for a foursome, tax receipts are available. The tournament takes place on June 10 with registration at 11 a.m. and shotgun start at noon.

» ckemp@brandonsun.com