"No talent is necessary," we announced at dinner, "just a willingness to get up there and show us some variety".

All of us gathered in the dining hall for the great event. We had campers get up and perform self-written skits; parents get up and sing to the guitar songs that they had composed, staff demonstrate various talents, and then came the staff skit that we perform each summer.

This summer is Fairytales with a Diabetic Twist. Tonight, Little Red Robin Hood was trying desperately to get to Grandma's house with muffins (carbohydrate), when the "Low Wolf" came out with a temper and wobbly legs to try and steal the muffins.

Cinderella had to get home for her insulin before midnight, and lost her blood glucose meter on the way, and the two ugly step-sisters were faking diabetes so that one of them could be with the Prince desperate to find his diabetic love.

That night at coffee talk, I was asked by one of our long-time camp families how I was raised with diabetes. It was such a loaded question.

It was their hope that their daughter with diabetes would turn out "as well" as the counselors at camp, and they wanted to know the secret. I wish I could have told them what it was. One thing I suggested that would help was certainly camp. All of our counselors had a passion for camp, most of them growing up in the environment, and really had gained a lot of skills from working here. Camp, I told the parents, gave these staff the confidence to talk about diabetes, to be comfortable public speaking, to learn a work ethic, and to gain problem solving skills.

Other than that it was hard to say. Diabetes just was not a huge issue in my family. I was never made to feel there were things I could not do because of my condition. I was always supported in whatever it was I wanted to try, whether playing soccer, running a marathon, going to Europe, or climbing a mountain.

As I was shutting down the dining hall tonight, I was thinking about how much our families have changed in such a small amount of time up here. Part of it is being in the woods with a bunch of other families away from cell phones, the Internet, and the hustle, bustle and stress of "real world" life. Part of it is undoubtedly the fact that you are surrounded always with people who give you opportunities for learning.

And part of it is truly the condition of diabetes. Diabetes, I feel, has challenged families in ways that they never expected to be challenged, and has given ample opportunities for growth. I am sure many of these families wished they didn't have to be faced with diabetes, but some I know, will tell you that it has been a blessing, bringing their family together in ways they never deemed possible and challenging their children (with and without diabetes) to realize just how precious life really is.