There is no room for squeamishness when you grow up in a household with a person with diabetes. Finger pricks and Insulin shots are just part of everyday life. At a young age, to me, diabetes simply meant grabbing that emergency can of soda when my dad's sugar was low. As I matured and started asking more questions, I began to see diabetes in a completely different way. Soon I understood the burden it placed on my father's life. Of course, my dad is not alone as 1.45 million people in our country also struggle with Type 1 Diabetes. The disease does not discriminate by age or race, as adults and children from all different backgrounds are affected. The limitations diabetes has placed on my dad’s life led me to start an initiative called DRIVE–Diabetics Revitalized through Impactful and Valuable Experiences. My goal is to ensure that children with diabetes and their families are not limited by the disease.

To kick off the initiative, DRIVE plans to provide scholarships to send children, struggling with the disease, to diabetes camp experiences. Learning independence while being surrounded by peers, in the same situation, is invaluable.

This year I have chosen to support Camp Nejeda in Stillwater, NJ. Camp Nejeda has provided empowering summer camp experiences and other programs for children with type 1 diabetes and their families since 1958. In addition to providing eight weeks of traditional Summer Sleep-Away camp, Camp Nejeda offers Family Camps, Day Camps, Spring and Fall weekend programs, T1D Adult Weekend, Nurse Education seminars

and much more. Please check out https://www.campnejeda.org for more information.

How can you help? Donate and spread the word by sharing this link on your social media. Together we can make a huge difference in the lives of children with diabetes!