Kaela Nolan

And you're like, you lose a lot of friendships, you lose a lot of people through your diagnosis, just because it's a big thing that a lot of people don't really understand.

But that's one thing coming to camp, people all kind of get what you're going through.

It doesn't really matter like what's necessarily wrong with you, but everyone has a group kind of understanding of what it's like to be sick.

different so you then have found a link back to the place where you felt happy and comfortable as a child that's it's amazing like I loved it when I was younger and I love it just as much going back and it's actually amazing that I was in camp I think it was 2021 or 2022 with one of my best friends Mia and we actually reconnected through the young adult program that's what I texted her I was like we have to go to this together we ended up actually being roommates on the young adult program we had the best time reconnecting a double win

yeah and we were straight away like you have to go to my birthday party now and like organizing things against each other we hadn't seen each other since we were in camp together but we'd send the occasional text but it was so amazing that we're able to reconnect like that so what was this new program like then for you the young adult yeah it was amazing it was so holland and barrett were our sponsors and it's absolutely brilliant because they had the different pillars for like the nourish and the sleep and everything so they had all different workshops about like how to incorporate better well-being into like your daily life as like a young adult so it was really interesting

Yeah I'm doing well yeah I'm in university now at the minute so I'm loving it as well but it's the same thing like you don't really know how different your life is so that's what being in camp and reconnecting with people as a young adult like it's amazing that you can all kind of see what like path in life that you're on now and how different things are but you're all able to bond over it as well.

Yeah, I'm always monitoring everything, yeah.

But it's funny that you mentioned about sleeping away and everything.

My first time staying away because of all my issues, like I was never on sleepovers when I was younger.

Everyone was always so hesitant to take me because they'd be like, oh, we don't know what'll happen to her over the night.

Like my first time staying away was in Barrettstown and that's what the nurse would come in to check our blood sugars and the night with the little headlamp on because I love to check our blood sugars and everything.

Yeah but it was amazing because that's what all the diabetics said like oh we don't get to go on sleepovers because things can go so wrong so quickly during the night time especially for diabetics so that's what the nurse coming in checking your blood sugar is that you know you're safe and you kind of get a laugh as well just coming in in a rain jacket and the high vis with the headlamp on like it's funny.