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A rising Gainesville High School junior will volunteer at a Dominican Republic camp for children with Type 1 diabetes.

Cassidy ONeill has spent most of her life with Type 1 diabetes. Diagnosed at 16 months, the rising Gainesville High School junior is about to take her first trip out of the country to help other children with the disease.

ONeill, 16, will travel to Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic, to help run Campo Amigo Dominicano, a camp designed for children with Type 1 diabetes to learn how to follow a healthy lifestyle.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when ones pancreas produces too little insulin and the immune system attacks the pancreas insulin-producing cells.

As a kid, its scary, ONeill said. Shes used an insulin pump most of her life, and every 5 minutes her glucose monitor tests her blood sugar. She and her parents can check the results on their phones.

Some people arent as fortunate as Ive been, ONeill said.

In the Dominican Republic, people need blood test strips, syringes and insulin, she said. Accessible education is lacking, too.

Its really hard to find resources and support, she said.

The goal of the camp, which begins Saturday, is to educate children and empower them to live full lives in spite of their illness. Camp volunteers are asked to raise funds, and ONeill has already met the $6,500 target, selling wristbands to her fellow students and exploring other resources.

Because the camp is in the capital, children from across the country come. Its four days long, but ONeill will head out early to help plan and organize the camp. It will be her first time out of the country, although shes advocated for Type 1 diabetes awareness across the United States.

Its a big part of my life, she said.

Originally posted here:
Teen makes diabetes impact abroad - Gainesville Sun

This entry was posted on July 5, 2017 at 8:43 pm and is filed under Diabetes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |