Diabetes diagnosis no barrier to fun

Kim Waters
A TRIP to the doctor for an injection is enough to make most kids and adults nervous, but for 11 year-old Ryley Dekker four insulin injections and four finger pricks a day are “just part of life”.
Ryley said he had come a long way from his diagnosis of type-one diabetes and his first insulin injection in 2005 where “mum and four doctors had to hold me down so they could get the needle in”.
“I’d been drinking heaps of water and feeling sick and then I found out that it was diabetes,” he said.
“I now take an injection four times a day, before breakfast, lunch and dinner and then before bed, all through an insulin pen.
“I also have to eat healthy, like fruit and vegetables.”
Ryley insisted his diabetes wouldn’t stand in the way of action-packed adventures with 60 other diabetic kids at a Diabetes Australia summer camp this week.
Sports-mad Ryley said the week-long Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula camp was “a great idea”.
“We’re doing different activities every day like surfing, rock climbing and canoeing.
“It’s great to be able to share stories with other kids who have diabetes and find out better ways to cope.
“It’s really helped me and I’ve liked it that everybody eats the same because at school camps I have to eat healthier food than all the other kids.”
Ryley described his diagnosis as “scary at first”.
“It was hard to learn the first couple of years but you get used to it,” he laughed.
“My brother is also diabetic and when he was diagnosed I helped a bit.
“It’s easier at school now and everyone treats me normally, which is great.”
Camp medic doctor Norla Neylon said kids could learn more about managing their diabetes from onsite health professionals and each other.
“They learn about changing insulin injection sites, finger prick rotation and carbohydrate counting,” she said.
“They derive a lot of support from being around other young people with diabetes too.
“It’s a very positive experience for campers and leaders alike.”