Camp New Beginnings providing fun in the sun for kids with diabetes

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Camp New Beginnings is giving West Texas children with diabetes a chance to enjoy some fun in the sun.

“We just saw a need for children in West Texas living with diabetes to be able to come together for a few days and just have time to get to know each other, see other children who are just like them,” camp co-director Rosanna Castillo said.

Covenant Health has been focused on giving kids with diabetes an entertaining summer experience since 2016.

Castillo, along with co-director Brittny Ayola, say the camp has grown quite a bit over the years.

“We started off, actually Rosanna and I were the only nurses for about 20 kids,” Ayola said, “and now we have 60 campers, so every group has a nurse and so we’ve definitely tripled in our growth.”

There’s no shortage of fun at Camp New Beginnings. The camp offers games outside with arts and crafts inside and even offers bowling and laser tag on the side.

Ayola says as these kids are having fun, everything is being done to make sure they get the right kind of food and the right kind of care.

“We’re focused on those special dietary requirements that they may have,” Ayola said. “We eat pizza, we eat burgers, some of them just may be gluten-free.”

Camp New Beginnings is also a bonding experience. When these 60 campers get together, they’re getting to learn more about each other and how they live life.

“For me, I like it because there’s a lot of other kids that are diabetic and it feels supportive,” camper Zaileigh Ortiz said. “It’s really fun to have other people who are diabetic.”

“It’s just really neat to see them encouraging each other and just that they’re normal,” Ayola said.

Several camp volunteers and staff either have diabetes or have family members who have it themselves. Castillo’s niece was diagnosed last November, and this is her first time at Camp New Beginnings.

“Every day since November,” Castillo said, “it’s been when is camp, when is camp. Her mom sent me a message saying she’s so tired. She said her legs hurt ‘cause it’s so much fun.”

As camp runs through Saturday, these kids are learning they can still have fun no matter what life throws at them.

“It’s just neat to show them you can have normal lives,” Ayola said. “You can do whatever you want to do when you grow up. It’s okay to check your blood sugar in public, it’s okay to count carbs and to do your insulin and change your pump. It’s just a cool experience for all the kids to see others like them and that this is a normal thing for a lot of people and it’s not something you have to be embarrassed about.”