Dear ACTS Friends,

It is with great  sadness that I tell you that our friend Ron James,M.D. ACTS Georgian Diabetic Camp Director, Medical Director of Camp Hickory Hill and Assistant Professor of Medicine at University of Missouri School of Medicine, Lion  in the Fayette Club, died in the early hours of March 8th.

It was just two weeks  ago that Ron and Zaza Tugshi presented the ACTS Georgian Diabetic camp  experience to the 20/20 Lions Club. Ron was already at work planning for the  2006 Georgian Diabetic Camp. Starting in 1994, when Ron first heard about Georgia and the lack of  Diabetic care for children he had a vision to provide  Georgians with diabetic children's education through  camping just as he did at Camp Hickory Hill in Columbia.

The first diabetic  campers and Georgian medical team arrived in 1995 to experience Camp Hickory  Hill and then in 1996 the first Georgian American Camp for Georgian Diabetic  Children was held in the beautiful mountains of Georgia near  Bakruni.   This summer, the tenth anniversary,  a camp celebration was held to honor Ron, the many  American volunteers, the Georgian team campers and the camp . Over 600  Georgian children have learned to self manage their diabetes from a  wonderful role model. Ron showed them that they could live full and  productive lives as diabetics.

Thanks to his tireless  dedication and  work, a generation of Georgian teenage diabetic as well as medical doctors and nurses have come to Columbia to see Camp Hickory Hill and learn modern treatment methods and how to adapt them to  the situation in Georgia.

Ron James working  through ACTS international and ACTS Georgia has created a strong Georgian medical team and team of American volunteers. The ACTS Georgian diabetic medical team has joined Ron and his American team each summer for camp. Ron James was the medical pioneer who brought modern methods of diabetic care (frequent  monitoring of blood glucose, and encouraging Georgian womendiabetics that they  could safely deliver if their blood glucose was carefully monitored)  Last year the Georgian  diabetic camp and Camp Hickory Hill again exchanged diabetic campers, providing  enrichment to both camps.

Our thoughts and  prayers are with Ron's family, his wife Betty, son Jason, daughter Susan and sister Cathy in  this time of sadness.  As his friends we will always remember and miss his  energy, love of people and his passion for helping others, especially young diabetics learn to effectively self manage their diabetes.

The light of Hope and Health that he gave to his patients, campers, colleagues  and friends will continue shining forever. All of us at ACTS, will work to continue Ron's vision and dream of a permanent camp in Georgia as a sister camp to  Hickory Hill. The family has asked that instead of flowers, donations be sent to ACTS. This will form an endowment to  sustain the camp activities.

Dr. Ron James Georgian Children's diabetic camp
% ACTS 
P.O. Box 7026