Blue skies, white puffy clouds and a swimming pool — the YMCA facilities outside of Boone has all the markings of a camp. But before breakfast, four doctors accompanied by two nurses watch children inject themselves with needles.

This is not the sight of an overnight camp gone horribly wrong. It is a typical morning for the campers at Camp Hertko Hollow, central Iowa’s diabetic children’s camp.

Almost four hundred diabetic children, from kindergarten through grade 12, attended the camp between June 29 and July 12 to experience all the sights and sounds of the great outdoors.

Many of the children have never been to camp before.

Seth Cordero, 11, a first time camper, said he had never gone canoeing or horseback riding.

He had also never administered his own injections in various parts of his body.

“I got a butt—buster award!” Seth said.

These awards are given to campers who inject themselves in that body part for the first time.

Camp Director Vivian Murray said these awards are given to encourage the children to take care of themselves.

“One of the camp’s goals is to teach regulation by having the kids test their own blood sugar and administer their own insulin,” she said.

Jim Cordero, Seth’s father, says Seth has taken care of his medical condition on his own before, but this is different.

“I’m not used to him being gone for so long,” Jim said. “After five years of him having diabetes, you get used to controlling, monitoring and knowing he’s OK.”

To ensure the children’s safety, the camp has a medical staff of 60 people and is equipped with a health lodge in case of medical emergencies.

“The most common illness is homesickness,” Murray said.

The medical staff includes people from the University of Iowa, Drake University, and 18 dietitian interns from Iowa State.

Terri Mishler, head dietitian for the camp, says one intern is assigned to each table.

Each intern’s duty is to help count the carbohydrates ingested by each camper at the table and record the numbers, she says. The doctors then use the information to adjust the amount of insulin given to each child.

This experience helps interns gain practical knowledge, Mishler said.

“This is the best way to get an understanding of the life of a diabetic child,” Mishler said.

Interns are required to inject themselves with a saline solution at least once, she said.

Traci Mindiola, a recent ISU graduate with a degree in dietetics, has injected herself many times during the camp session to understand what diabetic children experience. She improperly injected her arm earlier in the morning, and it hurt for half an hour.

Jen Swenson, also a recent ISU graduate, said she has learned more about practical applications at the camp than in the classroom.

“I’ve learned how the kids have to constantly check their blood and carry around snacks as supplies,” Swenson said.

The interns are also required to conduct a nutrition lesson plan.

Debra Hope, ISU alumna, designed a game teaching kids how to properly measure a cup or a portion of some food.

“It is important for these kids to learn portion control for carbohydrate counting,” she said.

Among their full duties during the day, the camp staff also must make night rounds. Mishler said there are four teams, each consisting of one doctor, one inexperienced person, one experienced person and one medical staff person.

At 1 a.m., the teams visit every cabin to test each child’s blood and record their levels. If a child’s sugar level is too low, they are given a snack.

“Imagine how it is for the kids,” Mishler said. “Being woken up at one o’clock in the morning to have your finger pricked, then forced to eat dry peanut butter crackers and concentrated McDonald’s orange drink.”