The first Campamento Diabetes Safari was held in May, 2005.  Two Certified Diabetes Educators, Dr. Stan De Loach, a clinical psychologist, and Ms. Francisca Arenas, a registered dietitian, joined forces to establish a program to support the educational and medical needs of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1).  Then and now, the main requirement for being eligible to attend Campamento Diabetes Safari is that a child or adolescent be using insulins to control levels of blood glucose.  The Campamento is a temporary, not-for-profit institution, which provides diabetologic education, recreation, and opportunities to meet their peers in a safe and non-stressful setting for these children and adolescents who live with DM1, whether they be from México or any other country.

In México, there are more than 525,000 persons who have DM1.  The incidence of the condition rises every year.  The usually unexpected challenge of living with this chronic, incurable condition mainly confronts children and adolescents, of all social, cultural, and socioeconomic levels.  DM1 is not a condition limited to childhood, which one outgrows, however.  It does not go away with the passing of the years nor can it be controlled solely with physical activity or changes in the diet.

As they go through life, children and adolescents who have DM1 but who do not participate in an aggressive medical program of blood glucose management and self-management and for that reason do not have the opportunity to become educated through exposure to professional and up-to-date knowledge and technology risk complications that are life-threatening:  blindness, renal failure, cardiopathy, neuropathy.  These complications originate principally from the presence of chronic hyperglycemia.  Therefore, the Staff of Campamento Diabetes Safari attempts to utilize the opportunities that arise (for example, calculation of insulin doses, choice of foods, the insulin and dietary adjustments prior to engaging in intense physical activity) to permit learning about the techniques and practical knowledge that facilitate glycemic control.

Individuals who have DM1 can never take a vacation from the condition.  Yet Campamento Diabetes Safari offers a safe context in which children and adolescents who have DM1 can grow in learning and maturity together with other persons who face the same challenges.  The Staff of Campamento Diabetes Safari believes that the Campers learn the standards of medical self-care more easily when they are secure, comfortable, well supervised, and exposed to medical and life's lessons in a variety of forms, during their everyday routines.

In order to approach DM1 proactively, children and adolescents with DM1 need several tools:  on the one hand, the up-to-date knowledge that enables them to manage this chronic condition well, so that they can enjoy their lives in the present moment, and on the other hand, informed expectations for their future.  Campamento Diabetes Safari provides Campers with both tools and in addition the personal validation that they gain by knowing that they are not alone, but rather united with their peers who also have DM1.  The Staff members and other children and adolescents who also have DM1 exert a lasting positive influence on the Campers.  This positive influence lasts beyond the temporal limits of the annual Campamento.

Campamento Diabetes Safari receives no financial support from any national, governmental, philanthropic, or religious organization.

The Campamento's objectives

Campamento Diabetes Safari offers children and adolescents with DM1 a safe, supervised setting, designed to provide support, education, and recreation.  It provides them with an environment in which they can express themselves, learn to interact and work together with others in order to become integrated as members of their peer group and as educated and trained partners in the team of professionals responsible for their health.  Children and adolescents who have DM1 do not always have available opportunities to relate to their peers with DM1, but during the Campamento, practically everyone monitors blood glucose levels, injects insulins, and counts carbohydrates (CHOs).  For these reasons, the Campers do not feel the need to explain themselves, to justify their behaviors, or to live differently from their companions.  They feel "normal" because they can simply "be" and know that all their friends understand what they are going through.

The presence at the Campamento of other children and adolescents as well as adult health care professionals who also have diabetes ensures that the Campers can learn to understand and manage the challenges and dilemmas that as persons with DM1 they have in common.  Campers increase their practical understanding of diabetes self-care.  The natural beauty and the climate of the Centro Vacacional Oaxtepec contribute further to their intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual growth.

The Staff exercises leadership, brings to bear their own relevant experience, and capably supervises the Campers in all these processes.  They direct their efforts toward the overall objective of Campamento Diabetes Safari, which is to offer 4 days of safety, diabetologic education, and recreation for children and adolescents who have DM1.

Complementary objectives include permitting Campers to:

• live the Campamento experience with full social, medical, and physical security
• share concerns, questions, and emotional experiences with other persons, peers or adults, who also live with DM1
• benefit from the dynamic group support developed at the Campamento to acquire or deepen their understanding and knowledge of DM1 and its management and self-management
• enjoy recreational and physical activities in an unintruding yet supervised framework

In most social settings, children and adolescents with DM1 constitute a minority, which occasions an experience of isolation and separateness.  In contrast, the Staff and Campers, a mixture of persons, young and old, who share the same challenges and triumphs, live together for 4 days.  Campers have a chance to meet and to learn from adults with DM, who are also health care professionals and who have moved through experiences related and similar to those familiar to the Campers.  These professional members of the Staff share with the Campers their ways of handling the inconveniences and obstacles that DM1 can present at any age.  The Campamento experience becomes one of companionship and solidarity, rather than of aloneness and difference.

Formal and informal learning opportunities filter through all the activities during the Campamento.  The setting and design stimulate a dynamic process of shared learning about behaviors with practical, immediate, and personal relevance.  The Staff assists Campers in maintaining optimal glycemic control and in developing the autonomy and maturity needed to themselves understand and take responsibility for their DM1, if they so wish.  Diabetologic education is not obligatory but is instead at the service of the Campers.  They decide what, when, how, how much, and if to learn.  The benefits of personal experience, dialogue with other persons with DM, and educational and recreational programs are ample and long-lived.  In the short and long terms, these benefits aid the Campers to minimize or avoid future health problems and the complications of chronic hyperglycemia.

Diabetes education

Practically without exception, the children and adolescents learn something about DM1 and its self-management, which they did not know prior to participating in Campamento Diabetes Safari.  All members of Staff are actively engaged in the provision of diabetologic education, enabling the Campers to learn through personal experience and supervised practice with different health care professionals.  The educational effort is personalized and responds quickly to the new situations that arise in daily life as a child or adolescent with DM1.  Diabetologic education, individual and in small groups of Campers, is intermixed in social and recreational activities.

Aware that each person with DM1 is different, Staff utilizes a variety of methods to transmit information and techniques well suited to the chronological and mental age of the Campers.  Normally, the educational process is repeated at different times, on different days, and in different forms and contexts.  The Campamento Staff creates conditions in which the children and adolescents feel sufficient security, trust, and supervision to be able to learn and employ self-management procedures that are effective and possibly just learned.

Diabetes education furnishes strategies that permit the Campers to maintain their levels of blood glucose within a safe range.  Applying these strategies is the only known path by which young persons with DM1 can sustain a good quality of life and distance themselves from the possible long-term complications of poorly controlled hyperglycemia (blindness and amputations, for example).  The Campamento is, moreover, an excellent forum in which to learn and practice new or recent advances in the treatment of DM1. 

The themes of diabetologic education contemplated by the Staff are in practice adapted to the Camper's interests, age, and self-evaluated perception of educational deficit.  Frequently, topics addressed include:

• What is diabetes mellitus, type 1?
• Why did I get DM1?
• "Understanding DM1" (a group meeting for general questions, answers, and psychological support)
• Effective treatments for DM1 (education, insulins, food choices, physical activity) and their use
• Self-management of DM1 using a regimen of multiple daily injections (MDI) of basal and bolus insulins
• Criteria for good metabolic control and optimal ranges for levels of blood glucose
• Self-monitoring of blood glucose (when?  why?  how often?)
• Insulins (types, characteristics, and peak and duration of action)
• How to calculate insulin doses
• Techniques for painless insulin injections
• Hypoglycemia (recognizing, preventing, and treating, in a timely way)
• Food groups (CHOs, proteins, fats)
• Planning meals and snacks
• Healthy eating for the person with DM1
• Composition and caloric content of snacks
• Are snacks necessary for glycemic control?
• CHO counting
• The relation between insulin and CHOs
• The glycemic index and its use in the control of blood sugar
• Physical activity and the requirements (food and insulin) for engaging in it safely and without hypoglycemia
• Ways of balancing insulin and food requirements during exercise or physical activity
• Ketones in urine or in blood:  What do they mean?
• How to measure ketones at home
• How to avoid ketones and prevent ketoacidosis
• Ketoacidosis:  Symptoms and treatment
• Care of the teeth and gums:  Correct brushing technique
• Foot care:  Hygiene and footwear
• Care of the eyes
• Alcohol, recreational drug, and tobacco use:  Consequences for the person with DM1
• Prevention of long-term complications of chronic hyperglycemia
• What to do in special situations:  Parties, trips, sports, temporary illnesses, holidays, pajama parties, all-nighters
• School and social situations:  What do I tell my friends who do not have DM1?  What words do I use to tell them?
• How to handle verbal aggression from classmates at school
• My brothers and sisters and I
• My parents and I
• What are my parents worried about?
• Late news in the treatment and self-management of DM1 

In only 4 days of education, hands-on experience, and recreation, the Campers with DM1 do not return home totally capable of taking care of themselves.  They will still require time to master the self-management of the condition.  That they will learn at an age and with a rhythm that are proper and correct for them.  In the meantime, parents continue to share the the responsibilities for management of DM1.

Diabetes management and self-management

A multidisciplinary team of health care professionals (Certified Diabetes Educators, endocrinologist, registered dietitian, clinical psychologist), trained in the care of children and adolescents with DM1, ensures medical and dietary supervision, as well as attention to the psychological well-being necessary for optimal management and self-management of the condition.  The health care team also supervises the Campers' blood glucose self-management practices, applying the 4 pillars of DM1 treatment:  education, insulins, nutrition, and physical activity.  Staff is present, alert, and available 24 hours a day during the Campers' stay.

Under available professional supervision, the Campers monitor their blood glucose levels between 4 and 10 times a day, according to their own perception of what is prudent and needed.  Staff offers advice and training in adjusting insulin doses according to the foods selected by the Campers, the intensity of performed or anticipated physical activity, the current blood glucose level, and the presence of transitory illness.  Campers learn to rotate insulin injection sites.  Staff teaches the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and early detection and treatment of them.

The medical team administers first aid for any condition or accident no regarded as serious; a physician is on call 24 hours a day for medical emergencies.

A registered dietitian supervises menu design, which takes into account the nutritional and energy needs of children and adolescents with DM1 in the Campamento setting, where physical activity tends to be greater than that realized at home.  The professional dietitian guides the Campers in the selection of snacks when they are needed and of foods from breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets.  Recreational activities, programmed with respect to the time of day that they are engaged in, are organized with the help of Monitors who are competent and knowledgeable in the management and self-management of DM1 in children and adolescents.

Due to the frequent increase in physical activity during the Campamento, the health care team may have to make adjustments in the routine DM1 management that the Camper employs at home.  For example, in order to compensate for increased physical activity, eating a calculated number of CHOs or reducing the amount of insulin injected may be recommended before and/or after a scheduled hour of freestyle swimming.  These slight changes are typical at all camps for children and adolescents with DM1, and are valuable in preventing glycemic decompensation (hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia).  They safeguard the Campers' ability to participate in traditional physical activities with greater security and less anxiety. 

Staff

Dr.  Stan  De Loach, Managing Director of Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008, has worked for more than 31 years in México.  He is a Certified Diabetes Educator and clinical psychologist.  He has more than 39 years of experience in the study, management, self-management, and treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus.  A national of both the United States and México, he currently resides and works in México, Distrito Federal.  Contact:  saludo@usa.net

Ms. Rosa Elena Yáñez, Associate Director of Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008, is a Certified Diabetes Educator and registered dietitian with a Masters in Nutrition and Metabolism.  She has 13 years of experience in the management, self-management, and treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus.  She has worked as Monitor and Education Coordinator in camps organized by the Federación Mexicana de Diabetes; she works with the youth group "Unidos por la Diabetes," of the Fundación Española para la Diabetes.  She is a citizen of México, currently living and working in Tarragona, Spain, where she offers consultation in nutrition and obesity and writes educational articles about nutrition and/or diabetes mellitus for publication in México and Spain.  Contact:  rosyanez@hotmail.com

Dr. José Juan Torres, Associate Medical Director of Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008, is a physician with a specialty in Endocrinology.  He has 8 years of experience in managing and treating type 1 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents.  He lives in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México, where he works in private practice as part of Soluciones Médicas Integrales and as staff physician at the IMSS Hospital.  He is a Mexican citizen.  Contact:  tkoloress@hotmail.com

Mr. Francisco Vargas, Activity Coordinator and Monitor for Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008, has 8 years of experience in the management, self-management, and treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus.  He has previous experience in the role of Activity Coordinator and Activity Co-Coordinator and Monitor in México as well as for the Salvadoran Association of Diabetics.  He is an attorney, currently employed as a Legal Assistant for Durel Ferman & Asociados.  He is a citizen of El Salvador, where he lives and works.  Contact:   fravacos@hotmail.com

Lic. Anayeli García, Activity Coordinator and Monitor for Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008, is a Certified Diabetes Educator and registered dietitian.  She has 3 years of experience in managing and treating diabetes mellitus in children, adolescents, and adults.  Currently, she resides in Xalapa, Veracruz, where she works for Todo para el Diabético and offers consultation in nutrition and education in diabetes.  She is a Mexican citizen.  Contact:  anamon25@hotmail.com 

Mr. Gerardo Rodríguez, Chef for Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008, is a Mexican citizen with 3 years of experience in the preparation of meals for persons with type 1 diabetes mellitus.  Currently, he works for Médica Integral, a division of Grupo Nacional Provincial (GNP).  Radica en la Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal.  Contact:   sputnik_frio@hotmail.com

Note:  No member of the Staff has any relevant financial interests or significant relationship to reveal or disclose with regard to Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008.

The members of Staff share relevant competence and experience and serve as instructors and leaders for the programmed activities.  Due to a Staff to Camper ratio of 1:2 or 3, each child or adolescent who participates in the Campamento receives personalized attention.  Sixty percent of professional Staff members also have diabetes mellitus, tipo 1, and thus can serve as positive models of responsibility in the self-management of DM1, in addition to acting as advisors, teachers, trainers, and mentors.

Staff works together with the Campers to guide learning during educational or sporting activities.  In recognition of the international character of the Campers and the Staff, Campamento Diabetes Safari is bilingual.  Two languages are used:  Spanish and English.  Members of Staff express themselves in one or the other of these languages, or in both.

Activities

All the educational and recreational activities at Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008 are designed to respond directly to the interests and needs of children and adolescents who have DM1.  Educational activities, organized as well as informal, are interspersed with recreational activities.  Educational activities are individualized and in the main are carried out in small groups of 2 to 4 persons.  Sports and physical activities help to make clear to the Campers the beneficial effect of exercise on metabolic control of blood glucose levels.  The times scheduled for these activities take into account the needs and anxieties of persons with DM1.  The activities themselves are tailored to the age and level of previous experience of the participants. 

The possible recreational options include:  swimming, soccer, basketball, kickball, volleyball, arts and crafts, balloon games, ecological activities, paper and plastic recycling, memory games, stories and tales, confidential dialogues, lessons in group membership and team building, games of challenge and skill, walking and hiking, exploration of Aztec archeology, nighttime observation of the stars, regional flora and fauna walks, and bonfire...among other possibilities.

Tentative schedule and program (modifications are possible)
 

Saturday	17 May 2008
.	.
0130 – 0145	Supervised monitoring of blood glucose [snack or insulin - according to individual's glycemic value]
0400 – 0415	Supervised monitoring of blood glucose [snack or insulin - according to individual's glycemic value] for those with hypoglycemia during the previous monitoring
0730 – 0800	Arise; supervised monitoring of blood glucose [preprandial ultrarrapid insulin for blood glucose more than 150 mg/dL]; sunscreen; today's t-shirts distributed
0800 – 0815	Walk downhill to Cabaña 60 (dining room); preprandial ultrarrapid insulin for blood glucose less than 150 mg/dL
0815 – 0900	Breakfast; free time; informal education about foods
0900 – 0945	Morning plenary assembly:  Dreams and feelings
0945 – 1045	Group physical activity
1045 – 1100	Supervised monitoring of blood glucose [snack or insulin - according to individual's glycemic value]
1100 – 1145	Group educational activity
1145 – 1230	Structured, supervised free time:  Drama or comedy or soap opera (telenovela)
1230 – 1300	Small group educational activity:  Topics according to Campers' interests [hypoglycemia?  painless injections?  glycemic index?  self evaluation?]
1300 – 1340	Informal rest activity:  Sharing ideas, experiences, feelings about DM1
1340 – 1400	Walk downhill to Cabaña 60 (dining room); supervised monitoring of blood glucose; preprandial ultrarrapid insulin
1400 – 1500	Lunch; free time; informal education about foods
1515 – 1530	Group educational activity:  What kinds of foods do I like?  Why?  What are the purposes and uses of food?
1515 – 1730	Dialogues among the Camp Director and those Campers' parents who wish to participate
1530 – 1545	Walk uphill to the Hotel Zacatepec; dressing in bathing suits for those who wish to swim
1545 – 1700	Structured free time; sunscreen; swimming [pool 3] or another nearby physical activity for those who do not wish to swim; shower
1700 – 1715	Supervised monitoring of blood glucose [snack or insulin - according to individual's glycemic value]
1715 – 1800	Educational activities and free time
1800 – 1840	Writing thank-you's to all individual and corporate donors and sponsors of Campamento Diabetes Safari
1840 – 1900	Supervised monitoring of blood glucose; preprandial ultrarrapid insulin
1900 – 2000	Dinner; free time
2000 – 2030	Evening plenary assembly
2045 – 2145	Evening recreational activity:   Bonfire
2145 – 2200	Supervised monitoring of blood glucose [snack or insulin - according to individual's glycemic value]; glargine insulin/Lantus; bathe, if desired; to bed
.	The schedule and program may be modified according to the interests and needs of the individuals in the group.
.	.

Accommodations

The  Hotel Zacatepec at the Centro Vacacional Oaxtepec, Yautepec, Morelos, México, is the site for Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008.  Small groups of 4 persons of the same gender (1 Staff member and 3 Campers) and of approximately the same age share large clean and comfortable rooms.  The rooms for 4 persons have two sets of bunk beds or one set of bunk beds and two twin beds.  Each room has been recently renovated and redecorated; in each, amenities include electricity, telephone, television, refrigerator, sink with mirror and a full bath with shower and toilet.  Daily room service provides soap, toilet paper, small and large bath towels, sheets and pillow cases, pillows, and blankets.

Food

The healthy foods served at Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008 contribute to a balanced food plan that favors the normalization of blood glucose levels.  At mealtimes, a registered dietitian and other Staff members explain to the Campers how, when, and how much to eat in order to maintain blood glucose in an acceptable range...as well as the wherefore of the recommendations offered.  They promote adequate food intake in relation to the prandial insulin injected, the current level of blood glucose, and the degree of recent or upcoming physical activity.  Staff teaches nutrition principles, emphasizing those foods that conserve health and favor optimal ranges of blood glucose.

All foods are served family style (buffet), at three meals each day except Sunday. Snacks and complementary insulin doses are available according to the Camper's current, measured individual glycemic level.  Snacks address blood glucose levels and therefore are not offered according to a schedule or set number of snacks.  Their caloric content is variable according to blood glucose level and is not predetermined.

Working together with the multidisciplinary health care team, the dietitian prepares food plans when necessary and teaches Campers to calculate the nutritional values, the number of grams of CHO, and the caloric contribution of the foods incorporated in their individual food plan.

The Staff dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educators revise the menus to ensure that the meals are balanced and varied, that they include from the different food groups, and that at the same time they are foods that the Campers enjoy.  Food is served at the time indicated in the schedule and in sufficient quantities.  Among the foods offered are: soups, salads, Mexican dishes, vegetables, beans, eggs, meats, chicken, hamburger, milk, yoghurt, noncaloric flavored waters and plain water

The Staff dietitian instructs the Campers in how to interpret and use in their meals and snacks the information presented on the nutritional labels of commercial food products.  She emphasizes attention to the labels of items typically consumed to treat hypoglycemia or low levels of blood glucose (glucose tablets, yoghurt, meats and cheeses, peanut butter).

The nutrient content of the foods tentatively planned for the menus at Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008 is provided on the internet.  The anticipated menus are the following: 
 

Thursday

.

0800 – 1000  (breakfast)

Cold cuts and cheeses:  ham, turkey ham, Oaxaca cheese, double cream cheese Lettuce, olives, tomato, and green pepper slices Light mayonnaise Ground black pepper D'Gari light gelatin 1/2 cup (120 ml) Vitalínea Dannon drinkable light yoghurt, mixed flavors(only if blood glucose is < 71 mg/dL) Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks

.

Between-meal snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

1400 – 1500 (lunch)

Home-style lentil soup (Campbell's)  Green salad (lettuce, cucumber, olives) Salad dressings:  lemon juice, garlic, olive oil or other dressing low in carbohydrates (CHOs) Ground beef with vegetables (eggplant, onion, zucchini squash) and melted Manchego cheese Salmon salad with Hellman's light mayonnaise Pickled Jalapeño slices Whipped cream with unsweetened coconut Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks

.

Between-meal snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

1900 – 2000 (dinner)

Shrimp Stir-fried beef, zucchini squash, red bell peppers, onion, Oaxaca cheese Sauteed broccoli Lettuce, cucumber, olive salad, with low-CHO dressings D'Gari light gelatin made with milk (rompope, vainilla, nut flavors), in cups Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks  (plus possible leftovers from lunch)

.

Bedtime snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

Friday

.

0815 - 0900 (breakfast)

Scrambled eggs, with Gouda or Edam cheese  Thick-sliced bacon  Sauteed zucchini squash Mexican red sauce 1/2 cup (120 ml) Vitalínea Dannon light yoghurt drink, mixed flavors (only if pre-breakfast blood glucose is < 71 mg/dL) Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks (plus possible leftovers)

.

Between-meal snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

1400 – 1500 (lunch)

Beef soup with tomato and chicken consommé  Smoked pork chops topped with Manchego cheese Cole slaw (cabbage, carrot, light Hellman's mayonnaise, Equal) Mushrooms stuffed with spinach and double cream cheese  Refried black beans D'Gari sugar-free gelatin with whipped cream and unsweetened coconut Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks (plus possible leftovers)

.

Between-meal snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

1900 – 2000 (dinner)

Cajun chicken Pork rind in green sauce  Lettuce salad, with low-CHO dressings Cucumber slices marinated in lime juice and salt Cactus leaves D'Gari sugar-free gelatin Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks (plus possible leftovers)

.

Bedtime snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

Saturday

.

0815 – 0900 (breakfast)

Sausage and melted Oaxaca cheese  Cold cuts:  Ham and turkey ham Fried cactus leaves Cucumber slices in lime juice and salt Pico de gallo without chile Diluted refried brown  beans, with grated cheese Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks (plus possible leftovers)

.

Between-meal snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

1400 – 1500 (lunch)

Vegetable soup (mushrooms, spinach, onion, consommé) Chicken salad Mixed tuna and smoked tuna salad with Hellman's light mayonnaise Helmann's light mayonnaise with chipotle chile flavor Avocado and cucumber slices  Choice of 1 square of chocolate (4 grams of CHO) or 1 tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter (4 grams of CHO), covered with unsweetened coconut and frozen Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks (plus possible leftovers)

.

1900 – 2000 (dinner)

Green mole with pork  Frozen green beans with Bacon Bits Celery sticks filled with pimento cheese Deviled eggs Pickled Jalapeño slices Choice of D'Gari sugarfree gelatin, with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of Vitalínea Dannon light yoghurt drink, mixed flavors (6 grams of CHO), or 30 grams of salted peanuts (6 grams of CHO) Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks (plus possible leftovers)

.

Bedtime snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

Sunday

.

0815 – 0900 (breakfast)

Pork skins  Guacamole without chile Hard-boiled eggs  Double cream cheese Bell pepper (red and green) slices Diluted refried black beans, with onions and grated cheese  Pickled Jalapeño slices Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks (plus possible leftovers)

.

Between-meal snack, if needed to treat or prevent hypoglycemia:  Danone Vitalínea drinkable light yoghurt, assorted flavors, or ham with light mayonnaise and Manchego cheese

.

1330 – 1430 (lunch)

Lamb consommé  Lamb barbacoa Red and green Mexican sauces Lettuce, cucumber, green bell peppers, olives, tomato (with flavored Hellman's light mayonnaise or cream/onion/bacon salad dressing or low-CHO dressing of lime juice and olive oil) Sauteed zucchini squash D’Gari sugarfree gelatin with unsweetened coconut and chocolate whipped cream Bottled flavored sugarfree Be-Light and Sunlight drinks (plus possible leftovers)

Who may attend Campamento Diabetes Safari

Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008 is designed to provide educational and recreational opportunities for children and adolescents who have type 1 diabetes mellitus and who are between 7 and 18 years of age (with birthday between 15 May 1990 and 15 May 2001).  Campers of any nationality, race, gender, political belief, or religion may participate in the Campamento.

Children and adolescents who were diagnosed with DM1 within the last 12 months, as well as those who have never participated in a camp for persons with DM1, may find the orientation and learning gained in the experience to be especially useful.

Cost

Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008 is a not-for-profit event.  The total cost for registration and participation in the Campamento is 2450 Mexican pesos.  The registration fees are the same for each participant, from whatever country he or she may come.  One US dollar is equal to approximately 10 Mexican pesos.  The total cost of registration in US dollars is $245.

The cost of participation in the Campamento includes housing for 4 days and 3 nights, all food and snacks, supervised educational and recreational activities, care by the medical team, and all necessary supplies (namely, Optium XCEED home blood glucose monitor and Optium strips for testing, B-D insulin syringes, and lispro and glargine insulins).

The cost of bus transportation from the Taxqueña bus terminal in México, Distrito Federal, to the Campamento reception area at the entry to the Centro Vacacional Oaxtepec, Yautepec, Morelos, is not included in the total cost of participation in the Campamento.  The bus ticket costs approximately 71 Mexican pesos (approximately $7.10 U. S. dollars, one way, and 142 Mexican pesos (approximately $14.20 U. S. dollars), round trip.

Due to the high levels of individualized  attention and education, the true costs for each participant for the 4 days are elevated.  The support and generosity of the donors and sponsors make it possible to charge only $2450 Mexican pesos ($245 US dollars) for registration.  An individual, an organization, or a public or private association can sponsor one or various Campers who without this economic support would otherwise not be able to attend the Campamento.

Registration

Campers' registration will be accepted in the order in which the application forms are received.  Registration will close when the maximum number of Campers previously decided upon has been accepted.  All necessary registration forms must be received by 2 May 2008 at the latest, without exception.  Likewise, the total cost or any outstanding payment of the registration fees must be received by 2 May 2008 at the latest, without exception.  A minimum deposit of 50% (1225 Mexican pesos or 120 U. S. dollars) of the total registration fees must accompany every application for participation in the Campamento.  The address to which to mail or deliver registration forms is found on the first page of these forms.

All registration forms can be found on the internet here.  They can be printed, filled out, and sent by mail or messenger to the address printed on the first page of these forms.  A single copy of all the forms is sufficient to register.

Payments, cancellations, and refunds
 

Deposit	.	A deposit of one thousand, two hundred and twenty-five Mexican pesos (1225) or one hundred and twenty (120) U. S. dollars is necessary to reserve a place in the Campamento.  This deposit, in cash or by bank deposit to the Banco HSBC account indicated on the first page of the registration forms, must be received before 2 May 2008.  This deposit is not transferable.
.	.	.
Final payment	.	Final payment of the full cost for registration or of any outstanding balance must be made before 2 May 2008.  If final payment of the total cost of registration is not made before 2 May 2008, a previously made and deposited reservation will be canceled.
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Cancellations | Refunds.	.	In the event of cancellation before 28 April 2008, all payments made will be refunded, minus nonrefundable one thousand (1000) Mexican pesos or one hundred (100) U. S. dollars, which are retained for administrative costs, without exception. In the event of cancellation on or after 28 April 2008, no partial or full refund of the registration fees already paid will be made, without exception. All legitimate requests for refunds will be processed after 26 May 2008. Once the Campamento has begun, if the Camper is unable to complete the Campamento for any reason, no partial or full refund will be made, without exception. If the emotional, psychological, or behavioral characteristics of the Camper are detrimental to the harmony and appropriate development of the Campamento, or if they could be destructive to the Camper himself or herself or to other Campers, the Camper will be suspended, without any full or partial refund, without exception.  The Camper's parents (or their alternates) will be contacted and advised to pick up the Camper immediately.

Clothing and personal items to take
 

Important note:  Persons who use insulin should take with them to the Campamento The types and quantity of insulin(s) and sufficient syringes for their personal use during the trips to the Campamento from their home and from the Campamento to their home Their blood glucose monitor and a sufficient supply of test strips Results of the latest several glycated or glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values Medicines taken for conditions other than DM1

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Identification of clothing and other personal effects It is essential to mark or label in some durable way all articles of clothing, including footwear, backpacks, and other personal effects brought to Campamento Diabetes Safari 2008, which does not take responsibility for lost or forgotten articles.  The articles should be clearly marked with first and last names (not just initials).  Old or inexpensive clothing is recommended; formal or new attire is not needed during the Campamento.

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Recommended items Sunscreen (SPF 20 or greater) Tennis or running shoes Baseball cap  (with brim for sun protection) Blue jeans Shorts T-shirts or cotton blouses for 1 day  (there is no laundry service at the Centro Vacacional Oaxtepec;  each Camper will receive 4 t-shirts, one each day) Underwear for 4 days Pajamas Socks for 4 - 5 days Flip-flops or sandals  (for use indoors and outdoors) Windbreaker or light jacket or sweatshirt or sweater  (with long sleeves) Swimming suit Toilet articles (brush or comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, Chapstick, hand lotion) Small backpack or large handbag  (each Camper will receive a free backpack provided by Becton Dickinson) Plastic bags  (for dirty or wet clothing) Writing paper and pen or pencil Insect repellent Blood glucose meter, strips, lancing device, lancets, insulin(s), syringes  (for personal use during the trips to and from the Camp site)

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Optional items (according to personal preferences and previous experience) Musical instrument  (guitar, flute) Ball (basket, kick, soccer) Favorite stuffed animal or security blanket Camera Film Pocket flashlight Small change ($1 - $2) to spend for unforeseen extras Rubber or plastic sheet or waterproof mattress protector (if necessary)

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Unnecessary or prohibited items and products Knives Pocket knives Hatchets Guns Arrows Other objects designed for violence Felt-tipped permanent markers Cigarettes Matches Tobacco Alcohol Fishing poles Air mattresses Dangerous objects of any type Air-inflated floats Radios Electronic games Cassette players or recorders