SCHERERVILLE | Some youngsters may think that living with diabetes means playing competitive sports is off limits.
Not so the 40 youths who attended fifth annual Moses E. Cheeks Slam Dunk for Diabetes Basketball Camp at Franciscan Omni Health and Fitness last month.
The camp is offered for diabetic youth 5 to 18, with diabetes educators from Omni, Franciscan Alliance hospitals and other area health providers on hand to assist the youngsters.
But they weren't the big draw. Coaches Anthony Wofford, Tavell Grant and Robert Dutton, all from the Chicago Bulls Training Academy were the ones who got the most attention as they conducted drills and taught dribbling, passing and shooting techniques to the youngsters.
The program, which began in 2005, teaches fundamentals of living with diabetes and offers a place where attendees gain confidence in a safe, structured and supportive atmosphere. The program is designed to teach participants the relationship between food, exercise and insulin, as well as basketball skills.
It likewise is designed to teach campers how sports, illnesses and stress affect blood sugar levels, how to make corrections to insulin intake and to demonstrate that diabetes need not prevent one from living a full, active and productive life.
The camp is named for the father of Maurice Cheeks, a National Basketball Association coach. Moses Cheeks, who had pancreatic cancer and Type 1 diabetes, was a basketball enthusiast who was instrumental in designing the camp.
