is where we’d hear murmurs of ‘here I feel the same as others’ and ‘I have friends that have diabetes, and I feel normal.’ Music to our ears, and I am sure comforting for parents to hear too. Speaking of music, we had an outside disco with impromptu breakdancing from one of our nurses! In this camp, we made sure there was enough downtime offered,
WAIKATO LIVE BRAVE MANA ORA CAMP DR JO McCLINTOCK The Waikato Live Brave Mana Ora Camp was a galactic success, where our theme for this summer was ‘Space is the Place’. We were back at the Ngamuwahine Lodge in the Lower Kaimai Ranges, where the weather was great, and the little bit of rain only encouraged more people to get into the pool for fun with the inflatables. As usual, the kids had fun. We were on high ropes, in team competitions, and busy in sports games. Arts and crafts allowed some quality downtime, and by the end of the week we had a bunch of exhausted but happy campers and staff. The silent dress-up dinner is always a lot of fun, and the whole group lasted a massive 75 minutes – we think this is a record! The highlights of our time at camp were the contributions of our wonderful youth leaders, who continually proved that diabetes doesn’t stop you from doing anything – including the dishes! This year, we had 11 (out of 33) campers graduate from kids’ camp, and we are looking forward to seeing them as youth leaders in the future. Overall, a great week to start off 2025!
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Autumn 2025
balancing structured activities with casual, including time at the beach, which was steered by our youth leaders. As well as the youth leaders, we had a fantastic team environment of over 40 volunteers, with Diabetes Nurse Specialists, doctors, day and night nurses, dietitians, medical reps, and a Starship diabetes psychologist who ran an enjoyable
educational psychology session by way of crafts and discussion. We would like to thank all the staff and helpers who contributed and supported children to have a successful camp and to have, as one kid put it, ‘more control over my diabetes’. We leave you with this child’s new perspective on diabetes: ‘I feel like it’s a part of me, and I don’t have to hide it.’
