What Happens At Camp Seale Harris Check In?

by Erin Turnham

Registration for 2023 Camp Seale Harris is open as of November 1, 2022! Registration is open for Summer Camps (Day Camps ages 5-15 and Overnight Camps ages 6-18), Family Camps (ages 0-18), and Teen Leadership Forum (grades 9-12). You can view the dates and locations for 2023 programs here. Register your child now at https://csh.campbrainregistration.com/.

The 2022 Camp Seale Harris Junior Camp was Grasshopper’s third overnight summer camp. It would have been his fourth since he started going in 2019, but of course Covid derailed those plans in 2021. We have been going to Camp Seale Harris events since soon after his diagnosis at 21 months old in 2013.

The family weekend camps held at Camp ASCCA in Jackson’s Gap, Alabama helped us become familiar with the facilities. Those weekends together with other Camp Seale Harris family events gave us plenty of time to get to know the people in charge, and to ask lots of questions before Grasshopper was even eligible to go to camp at age 6. By that time our family was as ready as we could be! Even with all that preparation, our first check-in was daunting! I was nervous to leave him, he was ready to stay there and play, and I had heard how long the check-in process was.

To help out other families, I’m sharing what happens during check-in at Camp Seale Harris’ Jackson’s Gap location. Full disclosure, I’m both a parent and a board member. I still stand in the same line as everyone else at check in! This year I took photos as Grasshopper and I went through each station so you can have a first hand look.

November 2019 Diabetes Awareness

by Erin Schovel Turnham

I’m excited to host an event in the Alabama River Region for people with type 1 diabetes and their families! This will be a simple get together with yard games on Saturday, November 16 from 9 -11 A.M. in front of Pike Road Elementary School in Pike Road, Alabama.

type1funflyer_2019_11_16.pdf

Sugar Rush Survivors Playlist

What music moves you? What songs resonate with you?

When you are having a difficult day… or week… or year… with type 1 diabetes, or just with life, what do you listen to that helps you get through?

Leading up to the spring of 2017 I was having a rough time. I felt like a failure, like everything I was doing as a T1D mom and in life was not good enough. It turns out that depression tells a person those kinds of lies.

Catching Up & Strides Walk 2018

  

 

I’ve been away from the blog for a few months. November and December were full of planning, traveling and holidays. January and February have been months of just living and enjoying family. So here’s to catching up in March!

T1D Car Wash

Friday is car wash day. I vacuumed up at least 20 test strips and ALL the raisins. Dealing with a chronic condition like T1D means the highs and lows happen anywhere, anytime. It doesn’t stop for car washes. Thanks to the noise of the water and then the vacuum I couldn’t hear the Dexcom low alert and for some reason it didn’t show up on my watch. Grasshopper said he felt low. Yep. 55 on the meter, 50 on Dexcom.

Pike Road Lions Strides Walk 2018

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Awareness is important. After bringing awareness, I’m interested in ACTION!

JDRF One Walk Birmingham

by Erin

UPDATE: Congratulations Jake Saxon on winning our Low Blood Sugar Survival Pack! https://www.facebook.com/SugarRushSurvivors/videos/1183063691846348/

Sunday, November 4 was a GREAT day. Mr. Mister and I loaded up the car, packed plenty of snacks for the kids and we drove to Birmingham to be a part of the JDRF One Walk. I was honored that Meredith Morrison, JDRF Development Coordinator, asked me to be involved. This was my first event as a “vendor.”

Blue November Prep

While I am still getting ready for Halloween, I’m also looking forward to our diabetes awareness efforts for November. We participate in Project Blue November by wearing blue on Fridays and posting on social media. Last year I painted a craft pumpkin with the international symbol for diabetes, a blue circle. We collected all of Grasshopper’s used diabetes supplies and empty packets of Annie’s Fruit Snacks in the pumpkin to show all of the supplies and low blood sugar treatments he used.

Life Speed

By Kay Jacoby

By Erin

Both Alese and I have been busy and we haven’t written much. There have been lots of changes for both of us and it feels like life is moving at light speed. The speed of life. Life speed, full ahead.

I had a moment to slow down a bit after one of Grasshopper’s routine appointments at Children’s Hospital of Alabama. We loved getting to see Heather Jordan to talk about how to better tackle some of the issues we face like helping Grasshopper through the annual blood draws he has to have. The last one was… intense.

After our appointment we were waiting for traffic to ease so we spent some time in Children’s Harbor. I have heard various reactions when we share that we are headed back to Children’s. Fairly often others react with sadness or say some form of, “Oh, that is such a sad place.” Granted, my view of it is due to Grasshopper’s successful diagnosis and treatment there. There certainly are many possible outcomes. For our family Children’s has been and continues to be a place of hope.

I thought I would take some photos to share why Grasshopper is always so excited to go to Children’s Hospital.

The Lights Fest

by Alese

Hottie and I officially made it ten years in August!!  Not all of it has been Instagram worthy.  What real relationship is??? He is my guy and life would be so much less fun without him.