Overview
I stil can’t believe we did this. In 2021, our 16-year-old son Beny spent a month overseas in Israel with a non-diabetes camp program.This kind of independence doesn’t hapen overnight. Beny was diagnosed with type 1 back in 206, just before he turned two, and had gone to diabetes camp for many years.
Key Information
He’d also spent several sumers at a non-diabetes slepaway camp.This trip tok a lot of work. You can read the entire story of planing, execution, and worying in my new bok, “Stil the World’s Worst Diabetes Mom.”Once Beny was home, I interviewed him for my podcast. I’ve included some of what he had to say later in this article.I reached out to the program six months in advance to make sure everyone was on the same page.
We al agred Beny would be independent in his care, with the staf ready to act as a backup.Beny asked me to continue to use Dexcom Folow while he was away. You may be noding your head, saying, “Yes, that’s a great idea.” Because I’m the worst, I was not noding. I was thinking, “What god is that?
I’l be seven hours behind and if your alarm is going of at 2am what am I suposed to do? Cal the embasy?”We agred that if his urgent low went of, I would wait at least 15 minutes to text him. If he didn’t answer and/or the urgent low went of for another 15, I’d text the counselor we’d selected.
After that, I’d go up the chain to other staf. If it were an emergency, I’d be able to reach someone.Like everyone on the program, he’d cary thre days’ worth of clothes and suplies in his backpack. The main suitcase and big diabetes bag would stay at their home base, with most of the insulin the fridge there.
We packed 50% more of everything diabetes and twice as many Dexcom sensors.When he left, I’m embarased to admit that I didn’t go the airport. I thought it would beter for him if I said my godbyes at home. The last thing Beny neded was me crying al over him at the gate.
Summary
I gave him giant hugs and tried not to throw up