Send Channing to Camp HODIA!

When Sean Henry, one of the mechanics at Idaho Helicopters, the vendor for Air St. Luke's, saw a car with a license plate in the parking lot that said "HODIA," his eyes lit up. He came into the crew quarters and excitedly asked whose car it was. Dr. Alan Bean, the medical director for Air St. Luke's, was there and said it was his. The two then launched into a passionate conversation about Camp HODIA, a camp for diabetic kids near Sun Valley, which Dr. Bean helps run.

Sean's eleven-year-old daughter, Channing, has been dreaming of going to camp HODIA since being diagnosed with diabetes two years ago. Sean and his wife, Jessica, have been trying to raise the $1500 fee for the camp, which is scheduled for this summer. Channing is a pretty good artist, so she decided to draw a picture of the Air St. Luke's helicopter flying over the Boise foothills with a jaw-dropping sunset.

Channing's story can be read here along with a picture of her art, which will go to one lucky donator.

Hi my name is Channing Torosian. I am eleven years old and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was nine years old. I was camping in McCall, Idaho when I got really sick. My mom said my skin looked really pale and I was pretty out of it. My mom drove me home to Boise and I slept the whole way. I could barely walk. My mom had to hold me up. I don’t remember a lot of what happened next, but I do remember having to be taken to St Luke’s downtown in an ambulance. The doctor told my mom it was a good thing she brought me in when she did. I was close to slipping into a diabetic coma. I was in the hospital for 5 days.

It was hard at first once I got home. I wanted to keep eating like I did before but I had to change my diet. I didn’t want to be different. I wanted the food my brothers and sisters were having but I couldn’t. I had to carry around a bag full of my medicine and supplies everywhere I went. Now I am more comfortable with it, even though sometimes I still get embarrassed having to have my insulin pump on.

Before I got my pump there was a lot of finger pricking and injections to get the medicine into my body. I had to poke my finger at least ten times a day. I’ve been to the hospital three times since my diagnosis because my diabetes wasn’t under control. It has been a lot to get used to.

I learned about camp HODIA while at St. Luke’s. I have a friend who has been there and it's nice to have someone else going through the same things as I am. She was also diagnosed in 2020 so it's like we are on the same path. I really would love to attend Camp HODIA this summer for the first time. It would make a big difference to be around kids my age going through the same things. It would be nice to feel “normal” for a week. We will all be taking medicines. No one will ask questions. It would be so amazing to be around that.

I created a picture of the Air St. Luke’s helicopter. My papa, Steve Sandmeyer, was one of their pilots. St. Luke’s saved my life. The doctors and nurses saved my life. Without their care, I wouldn’t be here. I am grateful for St. Luke’s and to everyone there for helping me.

I am hoping to raise some money to help fund the week-long camp. It costs $1,500 to attend camp. I am hoping to raise money with my drawing. If we raise more then it will go towards helping other campers in need. Please consider helping any way you can. It’s not just a camp for a kid like me. It’s a camp to be free of being a girl with diabetes. At Camp HODIA, I’ll just be a “normal” kid again.

Thank you

Channing Torosian