<p>Sounds like this kid KNEW how to take care of himself and could recognize the signs when he started having problems. If a kid is telling staff he is sick, I believe they are obligated to take the kid seriously. They goofed, with tragic consequences. A kid who is sick may not always be physically capable of getting himself the help he needs, especially when his requests for help are ignored.</p>
<p>.ie if they have a medical condition how to call an ambulance, how to INSIST and take yourself via cab to an emergency room, and if you have a precondition, be sure you take a phone or get a phone,</p>
<p>I don’t think we should be blaming the victim here.
Someone who is deathly ill- should be able to rely on others getting help- especially when that person is a ** minor**
and there are adults who are paid to be in charge of the program.</p>
<p>Also I have to say- phones don’t necessarily work over seas- or CDMA phones don’t- the family may have been told they didn’t need any & how would they know who to call?
A sick kid shouldn’t have to rely on getting his own medical attention in this country- let alone in a foreign country.</p>
<p>I know where D is going there wont be phones- there isn’t even water- I doubt there will be phones or American quality medical service-</p>
<p>( going to print right now health articles for her friend who is in charge)</p>
<p>Sometimes on these trips kids are proihibited from making phone calls home to prevent epidemic homesickness (DD summer camps had such policies). A phone call home might have been considered as bad a violation as the “holding hands” episode. Hotel rooms where kids stay might have international calls blocked, too, to prevent extra charges…</p>
<p>As someone with a Type 1 diabetic cousin, I don’t see a great deal of room for interpretation here. These kids know how to deal with their illness. They have to. When a diabetic says “I feel sick, I need medical attention”, you don’t ***** around, you listen.</p>
<p>As for saying the kid or his friends should have taken matters into his/their own hands… they’re in Japan. Their cellphones almost certainly didn’t work, they didn’t speak the language, and they were with a bunch of adults who should have been responsible for them, and done all of this themselves.</p>
<p>I don’t see a lot of room for interpretation here. Either the parents are lying about the entire thing or PtP caused this kid’s death. There’s no middle ground that I can see.</p>
<p>I agree with 1of42. People to People may as well shut up and open their wallet wide. They messed up big time and have no defense.</p>
<p>My D (15) went on a P2P program to Europe this past summer. For her, it was a wonderful experience. She wants to go again next summer. I think we were very lucky with the delegation leaders (who had alot of experience with P2P groups). Another group from our area had a very negative experience because of their group leaders.
My heart goes out to this family…I cannot imagine the grief they must be experiencing.</p>
<p>My oldest son went on the P2P trip to Britain after 6th grade. His summation when he got back was that he was glad to have had the experience, but having had the experience, he would not want to do it again.</p>
<p>We have never considered sending any of his younger siblings. The mailings we continue to receive - and they are deposited in the trash unopened.</p>
<p>This article make me glad that we chose to take vacations abroad as a family. The three of us spent 3 weeks in Scotland(all inclusive-air/car rental/meals/entrance fees/B&B’s) for about the same cost as the P2P charges for a single student. Yes, we stayed in B&B’s instead of hotels but that allowed us a greater opportunity to meet Scottish families upon checking in for the nite.</p>
<p>The more one looks into outfits like these the more suspect most become. Some study abroad programs may be somewhat similar.</p>
<p>I’ve seen on more than one Christmas brag letter “…and this summer our Tiffany was selected to represent our country as a teen ambassador to Japan…”</p>
<p>My kids all received leetters from this program. I also know several teens who participated and had great experiences. That being said, my 25 year old DS has Type 1 diabetes and feels the need to be able to do whatever his peers do in order to prove his independence. Right now he is in China for the year.
He will be traveling on his own. I worry a lot. I really feel for this family. It appears that program leaders were not on top of the situation.</p>
<p>I was in no way blaming the victim here, for heavens sake,but if it is YOUR life and YOUR medicine, and YOUR condition, placing blame doesn’t make you less dead…Yes P2P blew it big time, but if we don’t want this to happen to other children on these types of trips, then we need to be darn sure they take FULL charge of themselves…</p>
<p>Of course he shouldn’t have to rely on getting his own medical help…I understand that, but if people around you are failing you, there should be a Plan B in place</p>
<p>Anyone with a chronic condition should have a plan B, rules of cell phone usage be damned…</p>
<p>And many many in Japan speak english and speak it well, the hotel staff especially</p>
<p>I am not blaming the victim, but if you aren’t proactive in your own life, then avoidable tradegies can happen</p>
<p>P2P was wrong- they were neglagent…no doubt about it…</p>
<p>WHen my Ds travel abroad, I do my research…they have all the information they need to make international phone calls, they know their allergies, they tell everyone they are allergic to penicillin, I know exactly where they are staying…</p>
<p>If we don’t talk about what precautions should have been made, what pre-planning could have been done, the idea that cell phones aren’t usable is ridiculous- I just googled several compaines that will rent you phones for brief period of time, that you can get here…they were in a hotel…which I can almost guarantee had english speaking staff members…</p>
<p>Again I am not blaming the victim, but if we don’t talk about the totality of the situation, another kid will die</p>
<p>We can talk all we want about how P2P blew it…does that help the next kid or adult? no</p>
<p>What helps the next family and next kid is seeing what could have been done by other people- WHY didn’t p2p call the family, was there a ban on cell phones and why would parents agree to that, was there internet access, was there a plan in play where the parents were to be notified when a child with a chronic illness gets sick, was hotel staff notified of a minor being there sick alone all day, did the child have knowledge of what to do if others didn’t take care of him properly</p>
<p>If a kid is vomiting blood, and people are ignoring it, then you stay in that hotel lobby and vomit all over their floor until someone calls an ambulance, if you KNOW you need medicial help, you DEMAND IT…we need to teach our kids to DEMAND treatment when they know it is necessary…he may well have…and we need other kids to step up for each other, consequences be damned…so if calling home is prohibitted, so what? so what if the staff says they are handling it, if you can see they aren’t, do something…better to make a fuss than have another dead child</p>
<p>If you know you are sick, don’t just let them put in a room all day and ignore you…take care of yourself while you can</p>
<p>My D wants to do a program in Eastern Europe next summer…she will be going with a phone that works there…worth the $$…this kind of event reminds us that adults mess up, people we trust mess up, and tragic things happen…we can’t let “rules” stop us from taking care of ourselves…if some program told me my kid who had a medical condition couldn’t bring a usable phone, because of “homesickness”, well, I would make a HUGE stink about that,and wonder about the program…</p>
<p>Yes, P2P essentionally let this kid die…and yes they are to blame…but just leaving it there doesn’t help the next family, the next kid…</p>
<p>My heart goes out to the family.</p>
<p>I know several teens who have gone on this program but it sounds like the leaders failed to take the necessary actions.</p>
<p>I have a 25 year old son with Type 1 diabetes and even though he knows how to take care of himself he never has been really really sick. He wants to do everything his peers do – travel on his own, eat local foods, do extreme sports. As a teen he participated in various summer programs which tested his independence but there was some adult supervision at all times but a little piece of me always worried. I worry a lot now because he is in China for the year and will start traveling on his own soon. You want your teen/young adult with a chronic but treatable medical condition to be idependent and self-sufficient but where do you draw the line when this individual wants to prove himself and experience personal growth and freedom?</p>
<p>Oops – didn’t realize there was another thread. Moderator – will you combine the two threads?</p>
<p>By giving them the tools they need- the knowledge- I think it is wonderful your son, and the other boy wanted to make these trips!!! At that point, you need to and the student needs to sit and discuss, and prepare for all the possibilites…</p>
<p>You have to let them go, of course, but you let them go with resources, tools, knowledge, and the idea that no matter what rules there are, no matter what someone tells you, if you know something is wrong, then take care of business…my Ds travel with an ATM card and a Credit card so if heaven forbid something happens, they can get home alone- they can buy that ticket, we would deal with the $ later</p>
<p>Yes we can blame P2P all we want, they were so wrong on so many levels, but that again, doesn’t help the next family…</p>
<p>for the people who say he should have taken more steps himself…</p>
<p>I have had type 1 diabetes for 8 years. I am an adult. I can take care of myself very well. MOST OF THE TIME. I had a problem with my insulin pump malfunctioning and my blood sugars going very high. I wasn’t thinking straight and my husband had to take me to the hospital. I resisted, thought I was handling it ok on my own. (I thought when I went from vomiting every hour to every two hours that I was improving!) When your blood sugars go very high or low you lose some mental capacities. People having a low are sometimes assumed to be drunk, this can be a big danger at places like colleges where there may be real drunks around 
In this case, his condition was known and the program had a level of responsibility, which it seems they did not meet. It is too bad he wasn’t able to call the desk and talk to an English speaking person. But until the first time you end up in real trouble like this, you might think you can take care of it yourself, until you are too far gone.</p>
<p>I just wanted to say that cell phones are allowed. My daughter texted me almost every day. And she also had a calling card as well that she could use in the hotel rooms. There is no ban on communication for homesickness or any other reason.</p>
<p>I guess my point is, we need to REALLY teach our kids and those with chronic health issues to be as proactive as possible with their own bodies, and safety</p>
<p>If you get the SLIGHTEST feeling that your medical condition is going haywire. then get medical help, no matter WHAT the leaders or adults say…there is no reason to think they know you better than you know yourself</p>
<p>As well, if traveling in a group, inform some other members of the group- other students in this case- just say, I have diabetes, and I have to monitor it closely, if you happen to see this and such, let others know</p>
<p>My D had a classmate who had epilepsy, a very serious kind- her friends were all told, even in 2nd grade, what to look for- if they saw this, or that, then get an adult ASAP, as the girl got older, she made SURE that the leaders of whatever group she was in were absolutely clear of her conditions and the signs of a problem…</p>
<p>Again, I am not blaming the child or the family, just reminding people that we are ultimately responsible for our lives, and we have to really remind our children of that…and if they feel they aren’t being heard, their health is being ignored by those that are supposed to be taking care of you, then speak up, make a fuss, don’t let others incompetence lead to tragedy</p>
<p>P2P was horrendous in how they handled this…saying that doesn’t teach anyone anything…</p>
<p>They should be sued, absolutely, but at the same time, we need to talk about how to take care of ourselves the best we can, and not let others make us doubt our own knowledge</p>
<p>If no one listens to you, make a BIG stink, make a fuss, while you can…if you know you need medical help, don’t let them bully you into not getting it, and not taking you seriouslly</p>
<p>If you have a chronic condition, get that phone, make plan Bs, because sometimes those that are supposed to be taking care, fail with deadly consequences</p>
<p>My dad is a diabetic; he has absolutely no idea, mentally, what is going on when his blood sugar goes out of whack. One morning he woke up, got out of bed, sat down on the couch, and it wasn’t until my mom started trying to have a conversation with him that she realized he wasn’t ‘right’. He resisted when the paramedics gave him medicine. He had no idea what day it was, what he had eaten for dinner the night before. He had no concept of there being anything wrong with him. Later, after he was back to normal, he said he didn’t remember any of it.</p>
<p>As requested, I will combine the two threads on this topic now.</p>