LaneMcAuliffe is the Associate Program Director for Camp Sweeney, a camp for youth with type 1 diabetes in Texas. Lane has been on Camp Sweeny staff for 4 years and believes strongly in the power of diabetes camps to impact the kids that attend them.
Over the course of four years on staff
at Camp Sweeney, I have countless stories of the incredible impact the camp experience has on these kids. Camp Sweeney is a place where you see a 7-year old boy hold hands with an 11-year old because the older boy is scared to give his shot by himself. It's a place where you see an older girl who has struggled with her control her whole life take a younger girl under her wing and strive to be an example for that younger kid. Camp is truly a place that brings out the best in everyone. But to me, the most incredible thing about Camp Sweeney is the family it creates - a family that lasts all year round and for years to come. Campers come together for nights of fellowship, called PFC Life, throughout
the fall, winter, and spring. Dedicated counselors stay in touch with their campers even though they may live several states away. Diabetes doesn't go away at the end of the summer, and neither does Camp Sweeney! Diabetes is a battle every day. You have to wake up each and every morning and fight this disease.
Fighting this fight when you feel alone can make it so much harder, but Camp Sweeney and other diabetes camps across the country give young diabetics the opportunity to come together and fight this fight together. And together, the fight feels a little bit easier, life feels a little more normal, and the future looks a whole lot brighter.
CDBC Camper, Zack C. has been selected to represent the state of Utah at this year's JDRF Children's Congress in Washington DC. Zack's mom shares "
Our family is thankful for the support that Zack receives from all of you and we are excited for him to continue to be an advocate for people who rise to the challenges that type one diabetes brings into their lives every day." We at the Chris Dudley Foundation are so proud to have one of our camp family becoming such an admirable leader in the community. Congratulations Zack!
To learn more about JDRF's Children's Congress program Click here.
It's really hard to pick just one! I'll go with listening to Chris talk about NBA career and what that was like with diabetes. It gave me a lot of perspective and made me feel fortunate to have the medical technology that we do today to make everything easier for us.
Did you learn anything at camp about your diabetes? Absolutely. I'd say the biggest takeaway I had during my time at camp was how important it was to regularly test yourself and not assume you know what your blood sugar is - especially while exercising. That's something I'm still working on today!
Do you stay in touch with anyone you met through camp? I'm still close friends with Elliot Voss (campers around my age might remember him by his camp nickname, "Bob Voss".)
What is your advice for present or future campers? My advice would be to lean on your counselors for any help or advice. Part of what made CDBC so unique to me was having counselors that were also Type 1 diabetic. Seeing them test and give themselves insulin like the rest
of us gave me a lot of confidence that managing diabetes while playing a high-intensity sport like basketball was more than achievable.
Where are you now?! After my Chris Dudley
basketball camp career came to an end I attended the University of Washington where I majored in Finance at the Foster School of Business and continued to play intramural basketball. For the past two years I've been working for Nordstrom in one of their finance departments. This past July I got engaged to my longtime girlfriend and we are set to be married in August 2019 in Seattle.
CALLING ALL PAST CDBC CAMPERS!
"Where Are They Now" is a monthly feature article showcasing past Chris Dudley Basketball Camp campers, now young adults with type 1 diabetes living active lives and following their dreams! We want to hear from YOU! How are you thriving with diabetes? Where has life taken you? For more information and to sign up, email Gayle Yost at [email protected]