“My Friend Diabetes Family Camp”, held in Bursa Uludağ in two periods, brought together 459 people from different cities of Türkiye. In the first term of the camp, 74 families, 77 children with diabetes, 128 parents, 38 siblings without diabetes attended, and in the second term, 74 families, 74 children with diabetes, 113 parents and 29 siblings without diabetes attended. While 87 families from outside Istanbul attended the camp, 30 families attended free of charge. A diabetes team of 22 people took part in the educational and social programs of the camp. The diabetes camp, which started 29 years ago in Iznik, has turned into an important solidarity platform where thousands of children with Type 1 diabetes and their families come together over the years within the scope of Koç University Hospital Pediatric Diabetes Program. Due to COVID-19, “My Friend Diabetes Online Camp” was organized in 2020 and 2021 to ensure that training was not interrupted, and a comprehensive training video archive was created that reached thousands of children and their families.
SOCIAL LEARNING AND SOLIDARITY
After the pandemic, Iznik Camp continued in Uludağ under the name “My Friend Diabetes Family Camp”. Approximately 500 people, including more than 150 children with Type 1 diabetes, attend the camp held every year with their families. Within the scope of the program, at least 30 children with Type 1 diabetes and their families participate in the camp every year. Children are supported to recognize sensors and insulin pumps, see these technologies in their peers, and share their experiences regarding their use. “My Friend Diabetes Family Camp” supports children in accepting diabetes, reduces their loneliness and allows them to establish new friendships with their peers who have similar experiences. While new bonds are established between children, families and diabetes teams during the camp process, diabetes education turns into a social learning and solidarity process that children and families experience together.
Head of the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Koç University Hospital, Prof. Dr. Şükrü Hatun emphasized the importance of the event with the following words: “The strongest aspect of ‘My Friend Diabetes Family Camp’ is belonging and solidarity. While the families emphasize the scientific and educational aspects of the camp, the fact that the families tell not only the information, but also the relief that the knowledge creates for them and their hope for the future, is a very good example of belonging and solidarity. In the early stages of diabetes, families say, ‘The rules were very strict, how to live?’ It is stated that their fears change over time. Therefore, the education and conversations in the camp were not only about ‘How do you manage diabetes?’ It is possible to say that it has made a change not only in the subject, but also in the subject ‘A beautiful and free life is possible with diabetes’. In addition to all this, we see in the feedback from families that the change in children is very evident. In particular, some families say that their children tended to hide their diabetes before the camp, but after the camp, they became more visible and at peace with their diabetes. In summary, from the feedback of families and children, it can be seen that the main success of ‘My Friend Diabetes Family Camp’ is ‘hope, strength, morale and solidarity’, and that it turns diabetes education into a community experience.”
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