When 17-year-old Tristan Suplis gets ready in the morning, he's doing math calculations in his head long before he's sitting in the classroom.
"10 carbs," Tristan said, entering the number in his insulin pump. "Diabetics gotta have to choose where they spend their carbs."
Suplis was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 12 years old. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas makes little or no insulin, a hormone that allows the body to use sugar (glucose) for energy.
"So I was understanding it, but I wasn't understanding the severity of the change that was going to happen in my life," Suplis said. Monitoring carbohydrates, sugar, insulin, and exercise are part of the daily routine. "The stakes are definitely pretty high. I'd say just about as close to life and death as you can get."
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Tristan started going to Camp Sweeney in Gainsville, Texas. The camp is for kids with or affected by type 1 diabetes.
"Going to Sweeney also really helped me figure out how to live with my diabetes and still not be restricted by it," Suplis said, pointing out the camp isn't just fun, but educational too.
"Those constant burdens are there for these kids. That's what makes these kids so amazing and strong," Camp Sweeney Camp Director Dr. Ernie Fernandez said. "And why I have done this for 40 years."
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Fernandez says the non-profit camp relies on donations.
"It's been tougher this year," Fernandez said. "I think the economy has had a tremendous stress on households that normally support Sweeney."
In its 75-year history, Camp Sweeney has welcomed more than 35,000 campers from around the world to its North Texas camp facility.
"So about half the kids that come to Sweeny come on 'camperships'," Fernandez said. "We rely on the generosity of a lot of people from this community."
"Camp Sweeney has been a blessing," Tristan's mother, Lisa Suplis, said, wiping away tears. "It is an amazing camp where he gets to go in the summer and just escape, and be a kid, and have fun."
Tristan Suplis said Camp Sweeney had given him a circle of support beyond the three-week summer camp period and boosted his confidence.
"Getting over such a big hurdle has made everything else seem a lot easier," Suplis said.
Tristan recently gave a TEDx Talk to Frisco Youth. You can watch it here.
For more information about being a camper, fundraising events, and donating to Camp Sweeney, click here.
