What made you decide to volunteer at Camp Hendon, and how long have you been volunteering? I started coming to camp when I was seven and remained a camper for the next ten years of my life. Not becoming a counselor was never really something that was on the table for me. This summer will mark my 4th year as a counselor and my 14th (wow, I’m getting old) summer at camp. At what age were you diagnosed with T1D? Age 2, 12/12/01. What is your role at camp? Adult Counselor (AC), kid wrangler, whatever you want to call it. Why do you come back year after year? What do you get from camp, or how has it impacted your life? I come back because camp is my home away from home and my fellow counselors and staff are my second family. They’ve always been there to lift me up and to motivate me when I need it. What is your favorite activity at camp, and why? Probably the zip line. It was my favorite thing to do when I was a camper I loved it when I was an eagle, and a few times, Loucon helped us arrange midnight zipping, which is pretty awesome. But as a counselor, I love it because I can watch my kids ( I call my campers my kids) overcome their fears and, as we say at camp “to stretch,” meaning stretching the limits of their comfort zone and growing as people. What are some things you have learned or taken away from camp? For me its that I’m not alone in this T1D battle, that I can always rely on my camp family and reach out to any one of them when I need support, its the best feeling in the world that these people will always have my back no matter the life stage. What do you do in your real life when you’re not giving your time to Camp Hendon? Currently, I am a student at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, majoring in Culinary Nutrition. I am receiving my bachelor’s in December and am starting my own small business called “The Diabetic Nutrition Coach” that will focus on food concerning diabetes management. Follow along @diabeticnutritioncoach on Facebook and Instagram. Do you have any skills or talents that many may not know about you? I am in the process of learning Italian. Favorite low treatment snack? My go-to is generally Gatorade but my FAVORITE is ice cream. Are you on a pump &/or CGM? If so, which ones? I was on the Omnipod with Dexcom G5 for years but in January switched to the Tandem Tslim X2 with Dexcom G6. What is hard for you? How do you manage it? I’ve had diabetes for so long that its just a part of who I am and my day to day life. In high school it was hard because at school I didn’t have a ton of support but in college my friends are the best that I could ask for. I have one friend who is also chronically ill but not diabetic, and she understands when I’m having a rough day and we talk. I have another who is not chronically ill but she always watches out for me, even when I haven’t seen her in a year and a half but we talk everyday. Plus I have my camp family and with Plumpy (who my best friend named) my artificial pancreas I do pretty well with it all. Favorite tip for dominating T1D when you have diabetes burnout? The best piece of advice that I can give is to lean on your support system. If you are a camper, the next time you come back to camp create a group chat with all of your den mates, lean on each other when you need to, that's why camp exists and why we’re here. I had an eagle group chat when I was a camper and it was the best thing when you're having a bad day and can reach out to your camp friends and just to hear that your not alone, that they’re going through the same things is amazing. Do you wear a medical ID? I own one, but I don't wear it a ton. I do have a medic alert set up on my phone that could be used as an identifier in an emergency. When I’m up at school I always make a point to tell my chefs and professors that I am Type 1 and show them my gadgets. That way if something were to happen then they would know what's going on.
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What made you decide to volunteer at Camp Hendon and how long have you been volunteering? I was a previous camper (started at the age of 12) and my time at camp wasn’t nearly finished! This year (2021) will be my 4th year as a volunteer but my 10th year of camp total :) What is your role at camp? Adult Counselor/singer of all the camp songs/does whatever Lori and Megan need me to :-) Why do you come back year after year? What do you get from camp or how has it impacted your life? I love the network of people and the friendships I have made with campers and counselors alike. I truly do not know what my life would look like if my parents hadn’t made me go to camp! I have the greatest support system of people who know exactly what I’m going through and are always there for me. What is your favorite activity at camp and why? Either the dances (because let’s face it- I’m an amazing dancer) or fishing/canoeing! What are some things you have learned or taken away from camp? That most everyone is going through the same thing you are, and we pretty much have shared experiences. We are not alone and this network of awesome people are always there for you day or night! :) What do you do in your real life when you’re not giving your time to Camp Hendon? I am a full-time student studying Elementary/Special Education at UofL. I graduate this December and plan to begin my teaching career in January of 2022! I have a 1 year old pup named Kiwi and love to exercise! Do you have any skills or talents that many may not know about you? Other than just being overall awesome, no At what age were you diagnosed with T1D? 9 - November 7, 2008 Favorite low treatment snack? Anything except glucose tabs and those nasty crackers they try to feed me at camp Are you on a pump &/or CGM? If so, which ones? I am on Omnipod and the Dexcom G6 CGM What is hard for you? How do you manage it? Since turning 21 in September, it’s been really hard for me to manage my blood sugars while drinking. I love fruity drinks so those always send my blood sugars sky high, then come crashing down. I do my best to think beforehand about how much I am going to drink and to keep a close eye on my Dexcom! Favorite tip for dominating T1D when you have diabetes burnout? This is a hard one because I seem to constantly be going through burnout. I always just try to keep going and in the back of my mind try to have hope that there will be a cure one day soon! Do you wear a medical ID? I do not- I probably should though We are so proud to share that Lori O'Bryant, Camp Hendon's Operations Manager, has been nominated to the American Camp Association's Camp Administrator's Hall of Fame! The goal of the Hall of Fame is to acknowledge and thank camp administrators for their invaluable work and their significant contribution to camps. To learn more about the Camp Admin Hall of Fame, click here. There are two ways that Lori can be inducted into the Camp Administrator Hall of Fame:
The voting period for the Hall is a two-week period beginning Monday, March 29th, and concluding at 11:59 PM on Friday, April 9th. Voting is easy and can be done on a computer, tablet, or phone. Starting on Monday, March 29th head to the voting page on the Camp Admin Hall of Fame website, find Lori, and vote! Anyone can vote - friends, family, classmates, volunteers, and of course our campers & parents! You are allowed to vote once a day for the entire voting period, for a maximum of 12 votes. Please take this opportunity to help us show Lori how much she means to us. Vote! Lori's Nomination, submitted by Megan Cooper:
Lori O'Bryant is an angel on Earth. Her love for our campers is only outweighed by our families' love of Lori. Lori was brought onto the Camp Hendon team as our first and only employee in 2015. Until that time, Camp Hendon was an entirely volunteer-run medical camp for children with Type 1 Diabetes. Her job description was jokingly paraphrased to say "give it to Lori and she'll get it done." All jokes aside, it was entirely accurate. Lori will rise to the occasion of any challenge, especially if that means helping a child or parent in need. She remained our lone employee for two years until she was joined by an Executive Director (me). As I got to know Lori, it became clear that her life's purpose was to make the world better for those around her. Children, in particular. She gives every parent her cell phone number with an open invitation to call or text her day or night with any question big or small. When the parent of a child who has been newly diagnosed with this chronic condition calls Lori, they are scared. Not scared - TERRIFIED - of the new path their family has been thrust down. Compound their existing fear of their child's condition, with the idea of sending them away to camp for a week, and it is enough to send a parent into a full-blown panic attack. Enter Lori O'Bryant. She walks our parents step-by-step through the application process, she explains what our camp schedule looks like, the foods the kids will eat, and she reassures parents with details about our exceptional medical providers and volunteers. She listens to their fears, and she allays them with her kind and confident words. I have no doubt that Lori has singlehandedly brought hundreds of children to camp, and changed each of their lives for the better, just because of her ability to reassure parents. Beyond that, Lori is beloved by our volunteers. She has an uncanny ability to bring people to the table for a cause. Last summer when our programs were canceled due to COVID-19, she was determined to make our virtual programs a success. She organized camp-in-a-box supplies, packing, and delivery to 106 campers in 6 states plus Thailand! Of those 106 boxes, 97 were HAND-DELIVERED by volunteers that Lori organized. She is the heart and soul of our organization, and we would be lost without her. She just wants to love these children. So, I am eagerly nominating Lori to become a member of the Camp Admin Hall of Fame. I assure you there is no one more deserving, and no one who will be as humbled and shocked by receiving this honor. Help me in honoring Lori O'Bryant's incredibly special contributions to our families affected by Type 1 Diabetes. |
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