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Dear
Friends,
Like you, I want to find a cure for diabetes, but what happens
to the children who have to deal with diabetes every day of their
lives until that cure is found and available to everyone?
We
are fortunate to have Camp Hertko Hollow for children ages 6 to 18 who
happen to have diabetes.
At camp they learn how to cope with this chronic disease and
how to perform the daily tasks. Having diabetes involves taking 2-4
shots of insulin, count grams of carbohydrate of all foods eaten at
meals and snacks, and doing 6-8 finger pricks to check blood sugar
levels EVERY DAY. In addition adjustments must be made
for illness, schedule changes, and exercise.
Emergency situations such as hypoglycemic reactions or coma can
result without diligent monitoring.
This is a difficult regime even for the most responsible adult,
much less a growing and ever changing child.
It is our mission to provide the child with the skills
necessary to manage their disease, to instill a positive attitude and
motivation that they can handle it and to realize that they are not
alone.
By learning how to control blood sugars, long term
complications such as blindness, kidney failure, heart disease,
neuropathy, and amputations can be minimized, according to the DCCT 10
year study by the National Institute of Health.
CAMP
HERTKO HOLLOW
has made a difference in the lives of these children.
It also gives their parent’s a well-deserved break from the
continuous daily monitoring duties.
As an added bonus – the kids have fun at summer camp – just
like other kids!
My
goal is to form a Foundation to provide enough funds so that all
children can attend diabetic camp regardless of their family financial
situation.
The “Hertko Hollow Children’s Diabetes Camp
Foundation” has been formed and can accept tax deductible donations
(501c3).
I have made a personal commitment to contact individuals,
foundations, and organizations to raise funds.
I have personally donated $245,000 to the Foundation from the
sale of my vacation home because Camp Hertko Hollow and these children
mean so much to me.
It
is my goal to raise several million dollars so that the Foundation
will be endowed and perpetuate itself for the future. Perhaps
then all campers could attend free of charge.
To attain this goal, I need the help of many persons like you
who share my dream and passion to help these children with diabetes
– people who would
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