The evening brought yet another session that causes families to reach deep within and question everything about their diabetes existence as a family. While our campers went off to "games night," parents experienced what they often label as the most valuable education session of the week -- the Staff Panel.

During the panel, staff that have grown up with diabetes were questioned in an interview format by our Medical Director. The questions, designed to teach parents the ups and downs of diabetes from a personal perspective by people who have diabetes, often reveal the most intimate aspects that go along with living with the condition -- the guilt, the trials, the challenges, the frustrations, and the benefits.

Four panelists were interviewed, all in their early 20s, and all camp counselors with Bearskin for over two years. Parents sat and listened intently while these brave young adults answered Dr. Mary's questions like "tell us what you remember about your diagnosis"... "tell us about a time you fabricated your blood glucose numbers"..."if you had a child with diabetes what would you do differently than your parents"..."tell us what you appreciated about your parents and how they raised you with diabetes"..."if there was a cure available to you tomorrow, would you take it?".

During the panel I could hear a pin drop, and the blowing of noses from the parents who were crying in the audience. I am sure they were picturing their kids up there, wondering what the future holds. This panel was different than panels in the past. It seemed much sadder, less celebratory. The panelists talked about concerns with medical insurance, their pride in not wanting to share their conditions with others when they were first diagnosed, their struggles in college, and their realization that diabetes was sometimes more of a burden than they realized.

One of our panelists wants to be an actress and is well on her way, having been hired by a theater company in the fall as a full-time house actress. She cried as she said to the parents "I don't know what I'm going to do about insurance. This is my dream job, and they don't have insurance". Another shared his struggles with his father who took a very back-seat role in his diabetes management and care as a child and now as an adult. A third talked about a time that he did not take insulin because he was out of money, had no insurance, and was too afraid to ask his parents for help. Another shared her realization that she decided to give up medical school because juggling the diabetes aspect of her life was just too much on top of the rigors of medical school education.

There were a few upbeat moments during the panel, such as the laughter of the panelists when asked about a time they lied to their parents about their blood sugars or when they talked about the positive things their parents did in helping them manage diabetes as children. Then the last question was asked: "If there was a cure tomorrow, would you take it?"