Covenant Children’s hosting free summer camp for children with diabetes

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - This week, kids from Lubbock and the surrounding areas have been attending a unique summer camp hosted by Covenant.

“These kiddos are special because they have Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Jennifer Wilson, the camp medical director, said.

At Camp New Beginnings, it is not uncommon to see the campers giving themselves insulin shots or checking sugar levels. However, Wilson said this camp is not about their disease.

“We do have to manage medical things throughout the day, and so, this is something they look forward to every single year. They get to come out here and just be normal kids, and we as the medical staff handle the medical aspect of it,” Wilson said.

The kids did just that all week long, making stops at Water Rampage, The Science Spectrum, and the movie theater. To them, this is just like any other summer camp.

“I have made a lot of new friends; there are a lot more people this year so that’s exciting,” camper Charlee Goswick said.

Wilson said Camp New Beginnings wants to reassure parents that their children’s medical needs will be met.

“Our entire staff is from Covenant Children’s Hospital, with nurses, we have dieticians here. We have people who are representatives of the equipment these kids wear all here during the day. Then we have regular counselors, some of them are Type 1 diabetics and some are Type 2 diabetics,’ Wilson said.

One of those counselors is Evan Day, a Type 1 diabetic who started out as a camper and now guides younger campers.

“I help them because I am a Type 1 diabetic as well; I help all the other kids if they need guidance on how to manage sugars, so I just help with that stuff,” Day said.

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