“We don`t treat these kids any different:" Milwaukee hosts basketball camp for children with diabetes

WEST ALLIS (WITI) -- Thursday, July 24th was day two of three for a free basketball camp for kids with diabetes. It's the second year the Slam Dunk for Diabetes basketball camp has come to Milwaukee. About 60 kids between the ages of five and 18 gathered on the court of West Allis Central High School’s gym on Thursday.

“They do get to learn not only some basketball skills and team building, but they also get some of the self-improvement skills and confidence to manage their diabetes and be in control of it going forward,” said Coach Edward Leonard, Head Coach and Board President of Slam Dunk for Diabetes.

Coach Leonard has volunteered with the organization as a coach for 10 years now. He says seeing the difference this camp, and learning these things with kids just like them, can make is what keeps him coming back each year, and traveling to three other states.

“We don`t treat these kids any different than any other kids. We do take our mandatory breaks, which then gives them the teaching moment of 'okay -- I was at x with my blood sugar. It dropped to here because I worked so hard. How can I fix that?'” Coach Leonard said.

Joey Balistrieri, a camp participant and the American Diabetes Association's Youth Ambassador says he enjoys being in an atmosphere with kids going through the same thing he is.

“You don’t always have to just go off to the sidelines and check your number and have kids come up to you and say 'oh, what are you doing?'” Balistrieri said.

Parents and volunteers with the camp say that’s the comfortably and confidence they hope stays with these kids and young adults long after camp ends -- both on and off the court.

“They just have to know that if I test and I manage my blood sugars right, I can do anything just like anybody else,” Jodi Borck said. Borck is parent of a child with Type 1 Diabetes. She and her son first participated in a camp like this in Rockford. When she saw what a difference it made in her son’s life, she knew she had to help bring it here, to Milwaukee.

“It’s always that balance of trying to prevent those high and low blood sugars. And they want to be just like their friends. They want to run, play. They don't want to have to sit out on a game,” Borck said.

And with this camp, it helps them realize they don’t have to.

These Slam Dunk for Diabetes basketball camps are hosted in four states -- Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Tennessee.

CLICK HERE to visit the Slam Dunk for Diabetes basketball camp's Facebook page. There, they are posting updates as summer camps continue.

There are several resources available for young people who have been diagnosed with diabetes right here in Wisconsin!

CLICK HERE to visit the American Diabetes Association Wisconsin's website. A 5K Walk to Stop Diabetes is coming up in October!

CLICK HERE to visit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Southeastern Wisconsin's website -- for resources -- and events in our area that benefit diabetes research.

The Diabetes Program at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is one of the largest in the country, serving more than 1,700 children with type 1 (juvenile) and type 2 diabetes and their families. Their program was named among the nation's best in the U.S. News & World Report 2014-15 Best Children's Hospitals report.

CLICK HERE to visit the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's Diabetes Program website for information on services the hospital provides, and additional resources.

Max McGee -- the famous Green Bay Packers wide receiver created "The Maxi Fund" after his youngest son, Dallas, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of two.

These days, the Juvenile Diabetes Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin is named after him.

CLICK HERE for information the Medical College of Wisconsin's Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes. There, you'll find links to the latest research, a video on diagnosing diabetes earlier, and other resources.