DIABETES FOUNDATION OF MS: CHILDREN WITH DIABETES “KANDU” ANYTHING!

They come from all over the Magnolia State to participate in arts and crafts, relay races, campfire songs and hula-hoop contests, and like little ants scurrying up a hillside toward a picnic blanket, they come hungry to form friendships that will last a lifetime. More importantly, though, they come together to learn more about diabetes– a disease that unites them all.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi will sponsor its annual Camp Kandu at the camp Twin Lakes Conference Center in Florence for all children between the ages of four and 12.

But don’t be fooled by the fact that they have diabetes– these children maintain bustling and bubbly lives, filled with football games, cheerleading practices, horseback riding competitions and swim lessons, just to name a few.

Take Emily and John Matthew Carpenter of Madison, for instance. Both have diabetes, and both stay so busy that their mom Angela probably needs an extra set of hands to keep up with them. Emily remains involved with cheerleading, track, basketball and tournament fast-pitch
softball, and John Matthew plays recreational football, baseball and basketball.

Seven-year-old Hayden Tucker of Brandon will not let diabetes get her spirits down either, as her mom Christy will be the first to admit.

“Hayden keeps saying, ‘This is my T-shirt for having diabetes,’” Tucker said laughing, referring to the T-shirt that the DFM gave Hayden when a DFM representative visited her in the hospital after her diagnosis. Of course, learning to live and deal with diabetes is a learning experience, but Hayden is as bubbly as ever, Tucker added.

Then there is Alyssa Emory of Crystal Springs, who like Hayden, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes this past summer. Alyssa, who is nearly nine years old, has written and published a book that appeared on the PBS television show Reading Rainbow. Alongside her horse Star, Alyssa took home second, third, fourth and fifth place awards at a national horse-riding competition earlier this year. And she was chosen to represent Mississippi in a NASA space shuttle program.

“Alyssa is an independent and headstrong girl, and, of course, she has her good days and her bad days,” said her mom Grace Emory. “But people will meet Alyssa and be amazed at how much she’s accomplished. They had no idea that she has diabetes.”

“It is not uncommon for us to work with children who do extraordinary things,” said DFM Executive Vice President Mary Fortune. “These children do not let diabetes inhibit them or keep them from participating in the activities that they love. We are here to offer the kids and their families all of our support and encouragement– whether it’s through the “It’s Not a Sweet Subject” school program, Mississippi’s Walk for Diabetes in their hometowns, or Camp Kandu, we are behind them 100 percent.”

Doctors diagnosed Elizabeth Anne Boyd with diabetes when she was 13 months old, so a life without diabetes is practically unfathomable to her.

Elizabeth Anne enjoys swimming, playing softball and riding and competing with her pet horse Cinnamon in various competitions, like barrel-racing and pole-bending.

She loves her great grandpa’s 100-acre farm filled with cows, goats, horses and exotic birds, and she and her grandpa now raise chickens together.

“She does all the things that children enjoy doing,” said Marty Boyd, her father.

Elizabeth Anne participated in the DFM-sponsored Camp Kandu two years ago, Boyd said. And she had a blast participating in the karate exhibition, tie-dying T-shirts and making friends with other children in her situation.

One of the biggest services that the Burns family in Columbus has benefited from has been Camp Kandu– the biannual, weekend camp for children with diabetes.

Camp Kandu, at the camp Twin Lakes Conference Center in Florence, provided Rachel Burns, who was diagnosed with diabetes nearly six years ago, and her family with a weekend of beneficial diabetes management tips as well as an opportunity to meet other people living with loved ones with diabetes or experiencing the disease themselves.

“I loved Kandu,” Rachel said. “Everyone was so concerned and sweet.”

Camp Kandu provided the family with a wealth of information, her mom Jo Lynn Burns said. Rachel, her parents and her two younger siblings attend Camp Kandu both in the spring and in the fall and have been since Rachel’s 2002 diagnosis.

“We loved that it was so family-oriented,” Burns said.

The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi (DFM) is the state’s only nonprofit health organization that provides diabetes research, information, patient services and advocacy, and its mission is to provide hope through research, programs and service to the 346,500 Mississippians with diabetes. Every dollar raised by the DFM stays in the state to support these efforts. In addition, 90 cents of every dollar raised goes towards the organization’s charitable purposes. The DFM is the one diabetes organization totally dedicated to all Mississippians– from children to seniors– who live with diabetes.

The fall session of Camp Kandu will be held Nov. 10 to 11 at the camp Twin Lakes Conference Center in Florence. The camp is free for children with diabetes but fills up quickly. Parents, friends and family members also are encouraged to attend the camp that offers lessons on meal planning, monitoring blood glucose levels and exercising regularly.

Register early by calling 1-877-DFM-CURE or visit the Web site www.msdiabetes.org for additional information.