Floyd County's Addison, Emily Baker Aim for the Moon
ROME, Ga., June 6, 2025 – Sisters Addison and Emily Baker both have Type 1 diabetes, and luckily, they also have each other.
The determined duo came up with the T-shirt design for this year's Kiki's Kids Camp, organized annually by Floyd Healthcare Foundation and held at Darlington School.
Their design celebrates possible scientific advances that might eventually let someone with diabetes travel safely in space for long periods of time.
Kiki's Kids Camp is funded by a planned gift from the estate of the late Angelique (Kiki) Petropole , a Rome pediatric nurse who had diabetes. The gift continues to fund the camp and the purchase of diabetes supplies for children in need.
Campers at Kiki's learn about nutrition, diabetes management, independence and self-discipline from trained clinicians and volunteers. Teens ages 13 - 17 who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes can attend as junior counselors/counselors-in-training. This year's event included 21 campers.
The sisters said the camp is beneficial for many reasons.
“You don't meet a lot of diabetics living your daily life," said Emily, 16, a student at Armuchee High School. “Here we get to see kids who have many of the same feelings we do, and every year we learn something different."
Addison, 12, who is home-schooled, echoed that sentiment.
“You get to connect with other people, and you see how they manage their diabetes. And then there's fun activities that you all get to do together," she said.
Visit the Kiki's Kids Camp page on Facebook to stay updated on next year's camp. For more information, contact Floyd Healthcare Foundation at 706-509- 3290.
About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.