PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 1, 2006

MEDIA - FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Deborah Perry Phone (361) 442-4538

YOUNG DIABETICS GO TO CAMP TO HAVE FUN &
LEARN MORE ABOUT LIVING WITH THEIR CONDITION

Driscoll Children’s Hospital and the American Diabetes Association Presents …
Camp Sandcastle Day Camp
Children ages 5 to 12 with diabetes and their siblings
June 5 - 9, 2009 ? 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; daily (Friday 8 a.m. – 12 Noon)
Texas A & M University – Corpus Christi at 6300 Ocean Drive
Registration is free
Registration Deadline: Friday, June 2, 2006
Call (361) 694-4864 for more information.

(Corpus Christi, TX) Camp Sandcastle, an exciting one week summer day camp for children with diabetes and their siblings, is designed to provide physical and social experiences that are fun while increasing a child’s understanding of his or her diabetes. Open to any child with diabetes and their siblings, camp will take place Monday, June 5 through Friday, June 9, 2006 at Texas A & M University – Corpus Christi, Early Childhood Development Center.

Children attending the camp will experience a fun, safe camping experience while learning valuable lessons on positive diabetes management. Daily diabetes education sessions help children learn about the food pyramid, food conversion into sugar and insulin, and blood sugar testing. Additional activities planned include swimming, arts and crafts, obstacle course, entertainment, and much more. Lunch and snacks will be provided.

Dr. Stephen Ponder, Driscoll Children’s Hospital Diabetes and Endocrine Center Director and pediatric endocrinologist, will serve as Camp Medical Director. Additional staff includes nurses, and community volunteers.

Camp Sandcastle is sponsored by Diabetes Association, Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Southside Lions Club, Peggy and Avinash Ahuja, American, and Texas A & M University – Corpus Christi. Their donation helps to underwrite the campers’ fees and program expenses enabling children from all financial backgrounds this rewarding opportunity.

About Diabetes . . .
It is estimated 20.8 million people in the United States have diabetes and another 41 million have a pre-diabetes condition. Diabetes is a very serious disease and affects over 40,000 Nueces County residents. The numbers continue to rise as more adults and children are being diagnosed with diabetes at earlier ages. A chronic, debilitating condition affecting every organ system, diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use the hormone insulin. It is needed to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy needed for daily life. Diabetes is the leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness, and even amputation. Although the cause of diabetes is a mystery, both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

Driscoll Children's Hospital Logo
About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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