Memorial Camp Scholarship Fund

My son Travis was born on February 5, 1983.  In April, 1986, when he was only 3 years old, he developed diabetes.  Managing Type 1 diabetes back then was so different than it is today.  Blood glucose monitoring took 2 minutes.  Humulin insulin was the biggest new breakthrough – most adults were still using Pork, Beef and Lente insulins.  We managed with NPH, and Regular.  There was no carb counting, we had diabetic food exchanges.  Managing Travis’s diabetes was difficult at best.  It’s very hard to give a 3 year old NPH, and then hope he eats everything he is supposed to throughout the day.

Travis was a trooper – as a child, he really tried to do everything he was supposed to.  But it’s hard when you can’t spend the night at someone’s house with all the other boys, because your daily routine is so set in stone. He didn’t like being different.  When he was 8 years old, we first heard about Camp NevADA – a 6 day summer camp at South Shore for children with diabetes.  More than anything, Travis wanted to go to camp.  So I gave in, and that summer I took him to the airport in Las Vegas, and watched him board an airplane with about 25 – 30 other children and take off for Lake Tahoe.  I cried – but my son was so excited to know that there were other kids with diabetes in the world – he wasn’t the only one.  He came back 6 days later – still my little boy, but he had learned so much about his disease, and how he could take control of it.  And he learned that he could do it independently.

After that, camp became a vital part of Travis’ summers.  He scheduled hockey, baseball, and school around his time at camp.  At 14, Travis became one of the youngest CIT’s at camp.  When he was 15, they did away with the 14 year old CIT’s, so again, he was among the youngest.  Camp NevADA eventually changed leadership and became Camp Buck, and every year, my son was determined to go.  He would tell stories of the practical jokes he would play on the counselors, and nurses.  I remember the year I picked him up at the airport and saw about 15 little boys with black nail polish on their fingers.  Somehow I knew my son was involved.  His only answer was “mom, it’s a camp thing”. 

As Travis grew, he found other interests.  He was passionate about music, played guitar, wrote poetry and made friends with almost everyone he met.  He was charismatic and charming.  His quick wit and imagination touched the hearts of everyone around him.

But his disease eventually began to attack his body.  He had his first kidney biopsy at age 14.  He went into kidney failure for the first time at 19.  By 22, he had neuropathy in both feet, and his right hand.  He lost his sight at 23, and soon after that, was on dialysis 3 days a week.  But through it all, he never lost his sense of humor.  The last time I spoke to him on the phone I said “Hey Trav, what’s new?”  His answer was “Mom, I’ve been in the hospital since September, NOTHING is new”.  Travis passed away January 30, 2008 just 6 days shy of his 25^th birthday, from complications of his diabetes.  We will all miss him very much.

In his memory we have established the Travis Martin Camp Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships to NDA Camp programs for children in need. Donations may be made on line or Checks made out to the Nevada Diabetes Association with a note for Travis Martin Memorial and mailed to 1005 Terminal Way, Ste 170, Reno, NV 89502

Bonnie Martin