Event raises diabetes awareness

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By Kay Luna | Sunday, November 5, 2006 11:37 PM CST | () comments

If you don’t know much about diabetes, ask 7-year-old Jacob Lester.

He’s a pro.

The second-grader at Eugene Field Elementary School in Rock Island quietly explained Saturday how he pricks his finger about five times a day to test his blood sugar level, and often gives himself insulin shots — but only when his levels are high.

This has to happen because Jacob’s pancreas doesn’t make insulin correctly for his body, he said.

Jacob came with his parents to a special diabetes family weekend event Saturday at Genesis Medical Center’s Heart Institute in Davenport to “learn how to take care of my diabetes,” he said, along with many other families from the Quad-City region and beyond.

Not only did the families learn more about diabetes care, but also about a summer camp for diabetic children: Camp Hertko Hollow in Des Moines, which helped sponsor the event.

Children ages 6 to 18 years old, including those who are diabetic and their non-diabetic siblings, can spend a week at the specialized camp, held at the YMCA Camp near Boone, Iowa.

Many of those campers are from the Quad-City area, the camp’s executive director, Ann Wolf said.

The campers do many typical summer-camp activities, like horseback riding, swimming, canoeing and games, but also focus on diabetes education and care, said camp founder Edward Hertko, a now 77-year-old retired physician specializing in diabetes.

“I want the kids to have a week of fun like any other kids,” he said. “And while we’ve got them trapped at camp, we educate them, and hopefully they’ll live longer.”

Some complications from diabetes include heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations, but “they don’t have to occur if you take care of yourself,” he said.

Hertko founded the camp in 1968 after realizing the state offered virtually nothing to educate diabetic children in this manner. That first summer, 37 kids attended camp.

“This past summer in 2006, we had 338 kids and 118 volunteers,” he said. “And they’re from all over.”

Terry and Kathy Miller of Freeport, Ill., brought their kids to the Quad-City diabetes event Saturday to educate them about diabetes — especially because their 6-year-old daughter, Lauren, has the disease.

In fact, the smiling first-grader said she believes she has had diabetes “for about 30 years, I believe.”

“I’m here to learn a little bit more about diabetes,” Lauren said. “I take shots all the time.”

Kevin and Daneen Bernhardt drove from Platteville, Wis., to attend the family camp event with their 10-year-old son, Jacob, who was diagnosed with diabetes more than a year ago. The event gave Jacob an opportunity to meet other kids with diabetes, and for the parents to learn more about the disease, Kevin Bernhardt said.

That’s what Michelle Smith of Coal Valley, Ill., was looking for, too, when she brought her 10-year-old son, Dakota Smith. The fourth-grader was diagnosed with diabetes six years ago, and has enjoyed attending Camp Hertko Hollow over the years.

“I just feel like he needs a reality check every once in a while,” Smith said. “When he goes to Hertko Hollow, he comes home with such confidence. It makes a big difference for him.”

Kay Luna can be contacted at (563) 383-2323 or kluna@qctimes.com.

Diabetes camp

Camp Hertko Hollow is a special residential summer camp for children ages 6 to 18 with diabetes.

Cost is $650 for a weeklong camp session, and $325 for a half-week session, but financial assistance is available for qualifying families, based on family income. All donations are tax deductible.

The camp accepts children with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, which many summer camps of this kind do not, executive director Ann Wolf said.

Type 1 diabetes happens when a person’s body doesn’t produce insulin naturally. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs because of obesity, Dr. Edward Hertko, camp founder, said.

To learn more about Camp Hertko Hollow, visit its Web site at www.camphertkohollow.com or call (888) 437-8652.