June 14, 2019 Put a Squeeze on Diabetes this summer

Growing up with diabetes can make you feel isolated as a kid. I felt like I couldn’t completely relate to any of my friends as they didn’t understand what I was going through,

says 18-year-old Jamie Cleghorn, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was three.

Fortunately, Jamie found people he could relate to when he attended Diabetes Canada’s D-Camps. “I found common ground, the opportunity to build a community, and learn from the medical staff and my friends there,” he says.

Jamie attended Camp Huronda first as a camper and later as a counsellor. His experiences were so positive that he wanted other kids and youth with type 1 diabetes to have the same opportunity. In 2008, he and his best friend, Max Armstrong, created Put a Squeeze on Diabetes, their first pop-up lemonade stand in their Toronto neighbourhood, and donated the money they raised to Diabetes Canada.

Today, Put A Squeeze on Diabetes has become a national fundraiser, with kids (and adults) selling lemonade at stands across the country, as well as online. The event has already raised more than $420,000. This year’s goal: $175,000.

"It’s been pretty exciting seeing this grow to what it has in the past few years. Our community keeps getting bigger, and each year we help send more kids to camp," says Jamie.

Help us Put a Squeeze on Diabetes today!