Children's diabetes camp Douwanna returns to Salmonier Line

A unique summer camp for children with diabetes is back in session just outside of St. John's.

Camp Douwanna takes place on the Salmonier Line with a pond to swim in, a big playing field and cabins to spend the night.

More importantly for the kids who attend, they can surround themselves with others who know exactly what they're going through.

"It's the norm here to have diabetes," said camp counsellor Nathan Russell. "We make fun of the people without diabetes here, it's kind of cool, and it's really nice to be able to whip out my insulin pump or my injections, my glucose meter, be able to test my blood sugar, it's just really normal."

Despite the focus on fun, there is a serious message behind the camp.

Many of the kids with diabetes are as young as seven-years-old. In a province with such high rates of the disease, this is meant to be a head start on learning to manage blood sugar levels and use insulin pumps.

"When you leave at the end of the week you just have a really awesome appreciation of this place because there's nowhere else in the world you can go where 99 per cent of the people are diabetic," Russell said.