Alecia Pinner visits a Mornington Peninsula camp with a difference to meet teens who aren’t letting diabetes slow them down.Increasing numbers of Australians are being diagnosed with diabetes, with the rate doubling over the past 20 years.
Many of them are young people — and the way they deal with the disease is as individual as they are.
Mt Martha teenager Ellie-May Maguire likes to be direct letting people know that she has type 1 diabetes. The energetic volunteer lifesaver and Dromana Secondary College running champion said the support she had got from teachers and peers at school was outstanding.
‘‘It is the first thing I say. I’m upfront and get it out there,” she said. “My school has been the most supportive thing; they’ve been so fantastic about it. I thought I was going to rock up and people were going to judge me for having to do needles and stuff, but they didn’t and it’s not a one-off.’’
The Weekly spoke to 14-year-old Ellie-May last month while she was attending a six-day camp in Somers for young people with diabetes.
She had just returned from another nine-week camp and said it was the best thing she’d ever done.
‘‘It made me realise I’m not the only diabetic in the world and on the first night it was weird seeing other people do fingerprick tests.’’
The camps are organised by Diabetes Camps Victoria, which includes Diabetes Australia, Diabetes Victoria, the Royal Children’s Hospital and Southern Health.
Fifty teenagers from across Victoria attended the Somers camp.
Diabetes Australia Victoria spokeswoman Shannon Crane said places were highly sought after at the camp.
“Over 200 young people are missing out every year. Camps would not be possible without volunteers and donations. More than 60 volunteers and 20 health professionals are donating their time this year,” Ms Crane said.
Narre Warren brothers Nick and Ryan Macdonald were lucky to attend the camp together. The boys agreed that swimming with dolphins and seals and surfing had been the highlights of their trip. They were also looking forward to bowling and a disco night.
Ryan, 16, said the camp was different from daily life because the campers understood each other’s condition.
His brother Nick, 17, said managing his diabetes became easier as he got older. ‘‘It was challenging when I first started school, having to explain to people, but now it’s easier. My mates know and it gets easier as you get older,” Nick said.
Fellow camper Kate White, 17, of Tarneit, agreed.
‘‘For me it’s more about talking to people who you have stuff in common with; no one else really understands. It doesn’t stand out so much on camp, it doesn’t feel so odd,’’ Kate said.
Jarod Wong, from the Royal Children’s Hospital, was the camp’s onsite doctor. He said that while the focus was on fun, the camp also provided a chance for young people to learn more about their condition.
“It’s not meant to be a nagging, educational exercise. It’s just so they can have fun,” Dr Wong said.
Challenges facing young people with type 1 diabetes can include regular fingerprick testing, four daily insulin injections or managing new electronic insulin-pump technology.
Mt Eliza teen Will Burnham, who uses an insulin pump to manage his diabetes, said he preferred not to tell people he had the condition.
The 16-year-old told the Weekly that as his condition didn’t impact on his personality, he didn’t consider it important to inform others of it.
Will said Frankston High School teachers were trained to know what to do if he had a diabetic emergency.
‘‘I’m on the insulin pump. I don’t really speak to the teachers but they are trained to know what to do if anything happens.’’
Legislation that took force on January 1 requires parents and guardians of children with type 1 diabetes to provide a management plan before their child can attend school.
Diabetes Australia Victoria advocacy co-ordinator Susanne Baxandall said many schools in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula were embracing the chance to learn more about accommodating students with type 1 diabetes.
But in rare cases schools can fail to assist young people who have the disease.
The Weekly has learnt of a recent case where a local primary school pupil with diabetes left a school in the Frankston area after staff refused to adapt to the child’s use of an insulin pump. Ms Baxandall said it was ‘‘very rare’’ for a young person in primary or secondary school to be refused enrolment because they required treatment for type 1 diabetes.
An Education Department spokeswoman said the department was aware of the issue and that it was against its discrimination policy for a school to turn away a child due to a medical condition.
‘‘Schools always accommodate for students with specialist medical needs. With the appropriate training from medical professionals, staff at Victorian government schools are always willing and able to meet a student’s care needs,’’ she said. The Weekly understands the child has since left the school and is studying in another municipality.
Last year teachers from The Peninsula School in Mt Eliza, Naranga School in Karingal and St Anne’s Catholic Primary and Aldercourt Primary in Seaford attended seminars to learn more about assisting diabetic students in their care.
Diabetes Australia Victoria spokeswoman Lyn Curtis said the seminars provided teachers the opportunity to become more confident in facilitating the day-to-day school experience of children with type 1 diabetes. Sessions include information about diabetes and diabetes management in school-aged children, as well as practical workshops covering monitoring, insulin pumps, camps and excursions.
And thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers and health professionals, diabetic teens will continue to have fun in the sun — and learn from each other — at Somers.
“They get to see different ways of managing diabetes [at the camp]. Some people are on pumps, others might be on special diets,’’ Dr Wong said.
‘‘It’s important for them to know that they’re not alone. There are lots of other people with diabetes.’’
Diabetes Australia Victoria is holding seminars for teachers in February and March. For more information or to donate to Diabetes Australia, call 1300 136 588.
Email a friend