Dear Friend,
At this moment, somewhere in the United States, a child is sitting in a hospital receiving the life altering news that they have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). The emotions felt by this child and their parents span from confusion, to fear, to questions like the one Chris Dudley asked upon his diagnoses at the age of 16: “Can I still do the things that I love?”.
At the Chris Dudley Foundation we aim to encourage and support families facing the emotional, physical, and financial challenges that come along with T1D. Chris and his wife, Chris, started the Chris Dudley Basketball Camp (CDBC) in 1996, the only residential basketball camp for youth with T1D in the world. In 2020, CDBC will host the 25th year of camp. CDBC has served well over 1,000 campers from all over the world, providing a safe space for youth to connect with peers and mentors who understand the daily ups and downs of living with T1D, while playing a sport that they love.
Camp is one of the most important experiences that a child with Type 1 Diabetes can have. Camp plays a pivotal part in encouraging youth to turning the daunting questions that they had upon diagnosis into the confidence to live active, impactful lives with Type 1 Diabetes.
“As a camper, CDBC provided me with an experience unparalleled to anything I have ever done before. It gave be a place where I could put away all of my fears and insecurities caused by diabetes and be my true self. It helped me develop as an individual while teaching me lessons not only about diabetes and basketball, but also about relationships and perseverance.” –
Hannah K., CDBC Camper & Counselor
However, medical expenses take a huge financial toll on families in the diabetes community. As you may be aware, Insulin is the 6th most expensive liquid in the world and is a tool that is absolutely necessary to manage Type 1 Diabetes. Studies have found that 1 in 4 people with T1D have rationed their insulin due to being unable to afford the proper amount, a concept that is life threatening. Making it a priority to make CDBC an option for all youth living with T1D, we have committed to never allow financial challenges to stand in the way of a child attending camp. However, with 75% of our campers relying on financial aid, we depend on your help to make it possible for the Chris Dudley Foundation to continue supporting the diabetes community through camp.
To celebrate our 25th year of camp, we are asking you to join in our efforts to raise $45,000 for our Camp Scholarship Fund by the end of 2019 - enough funding to cover the cost of 25 campers at our 2020 Camp. At this moment, a family sits in a cold, sterile hospital room, learning that their lives will never be the same, but camp ensures that there will also be joyful moments each summer of a child stepping onto the basketball courts at camp for the first time; meeting their first friend with T1D; gaining self-confidence; and learning that from that day forward, they will never be alone in this fight.
You can become an essential part of providing these moments of joy in any of the following ways:
For more information on how to get involved in these ways, visit
www.chrisdudley.org
. We thank you for your generosity and look forward to an amazing 25th year of serving the diabetes community.
Until a Cure,
The Chris Dudley Foundation
