You'll Be In My Heart

Okay, so this is going to be a happy and inspired blog. I am very uplifted and inspired at the moment by the kids I met this past week. I went into camp not knowing what to expect and now I'm home and my heart feels like it has wings. I mean that most literally too. Camp Sunshine is the most uplifting and amazing experience I have ever had in my life. I want to go back again and again and again. I want to go back for the people, for the experience, for the kids, for everything. The experience has really made an impact on me and I'm certain I will be one of the volunteers that goes every year of my life.

Now, maybe I should explain what Camp Sunshine is before I go much further. Camp Sunshine is a camp for families who have a child with a critical illness. The illnesses range from cancer to fanconi's anemia. They range from sessions of off treatment to sessions where children still have their ports in for chemotherapy. It's a very diverse camp and it's not just for the children, it's for the whole family. During the week each age group has their own counselors and activities, including the adults. Of course, the adults have much more free time and must be available if their children need them. The age groups are as follows: Nursey (0-2 years), Tot Lot (3-5 years), 6-8 year olds, 9-12 year olds, teens and adults. Each group has their own set of volunteers/counselors and their own schedule of activities. Activities include arts&crafts, swimming, paddle boating, kayaking, playground activities, volleyball (including a game called nuke 'em), air hockey, bon fires etc.

Now, I think I explained that enough. I was initially given a position in the nursery when I got my paperwork to become a volunteer. They do a background check and then send back an acceptance letter with paperwork to fill out. Once I arrived at the campus of the camp, and walked through the middle sized door and into the reception area, I was given a packet and my assignment was changed. I was now with the 9-12 year olds. I didn't really know what to think. I mean, I had expected to be in the nursery. Just the same I smiled and felt my excitement building. I mean come on I had wanted to volunteer at this camp for 2 years now and finally I was there. I put on my yellow volunteer shirt and wandered the campus with my friend Jessi until volunteer orientation began at 11am. At first it seemed overwhelming. A jam packed schedule filled with activities for every age group, but I learned it wasn't so overwhelming once it began.

The first night was easy. I met the other 9-12 year old counselors, we went over the rules and we sat together for lunch sharing our nerves and excitement. Each of us was assigned a family to sit with at dinner, to give them a warm welcome and a friendly smiling face to sit with. After lunch my group of counselors went to greet families at the family living center, to help them move into their rooms. Those rooms would be their home for the next few days, just as our rooms were ours. We helped families move in, greeting them with smiles and lending them a helping hand. After that it was dinner. My family was from the Bronx (in NY if you didn't know that.) They had one child, a little boy of 8, Giancarlos and he had the biggest smile I've ever seen. That was my first sign that this would be amazing. After dinner we had a huge bon fire, however I ended up playing freeze tag on the playground with many children from the camp. The official first day was not until the following morning.

The mornings at camp began early with breakfast from 8-9am. I was up by 7 every morning, usually I'm not a morning person but god did I want to wake up at camp everyday regardless of how early it was. The first day wasn't as overwhelming as the schedule made it seem. We met up in the 9-12 year old room, which housed air hockey tables, pool tables, a wii and other games for the kids to play until we were ready to leave. Immediately I saw a little girl standing alone. I approached her and low and behold she was from Forked River, NJ just 20 minutes from me and her grandmother lives in Toms River. I was amazed and we began a game of air hockey as she talked my ear off. She immediately grew attached, as did I. The first day was filled with initiation games, volleyball, nuke 'em, and meals. Then we had a talent show, followed by a masquarade dance. It was amazing to see the kids so happy and enjoying themselves. The next day proved just as busy, as did the rest of the week and yet it never felt that way. Saturday night the 9-12 year old group had a sleep out. We stayed outside with our campers in yurts. Yurts are similar to cabins but instead of wood they're made of canvas. My yurt contained: Meri (another counselor), me, Dawn, Eva, Anna, Linnea, Athena, Ashley and Jewelia (until her parents picked her up at around 11.)We had a big bon fire complete with camp fire songs, a movie in the gazebo outside, along with many games and stories. When we went to our yurt we played telephone and whispered until the girls went to sleep. Athena had never had a smore or slept in a sleeping bag until that day. It was a fun night. The days at camp seemed to fly by as if they had wings we could not stop if we wanted them too. The last night included a celebration show in which each age group performed. The volunteers also performed. A bunch of us did something called the oompa band,which is hard to explain but was amazingly fun. At the end of the show they played a slideshow with pictures from the week and then they called all the volunteers up and we "sang" "That's What Friends Are For" to the campers. I put sang in quotes because for the most part we listened, held onto one another and cried. I especially cried when Dawn, one of my girls, came running up and broke into the line to hug my waist. It was the end and it was a bittersweet moment. Some families would be leaving that night after show, while others would leave after breakfast the next day.

Now, I guess this is the time to tell you about the kids I met at this camp that made it such an amazing experience. I can give you a list of names, but I must say I will only talk about a few of them. My group of 9-12 year olds included: Dawn, Athena, Linnea, Anna, Eva, Jewelia, Mason, Kevin, Cassandra, Maddie, Peter, Nicholas, Drew, and many others. I can easily tell you about Dawn, Athena, Linnea, Anna, Jewelia and Drew. They were the kids I spent most of my time with.

Dawn is the little girl I met the first day from Forked River. She was 8 1/2 and had the sweetest disposition. She chose to move up to 9-12 year olds from the 6-8 year olds. She was also glad she did. She stuck by me the whole week, clutching my hand and telling me stories. She was the sick one of her family, telling me how when she lost her hair it had been long and wavy but when it grew back it was super curly. She had a smile that could light up the room. Dawn got me to take her out on a paddleboat in the lake, something I had never done before. She is probably the child I catered to most and got closest to the whole week. Athena is greek and she is the only child in her family. I believe she's 11, and she has the longest and most gorgeous hair I have ever seen. She didn't talk much about her illness, but she taught me to play chess and shared a love for angels and greek mythology with me. She even read the Percy Jackson books. Linnea and Anna are sisters, they also had 2 other younger sisters. Anna is 11 and she was the sick one, Linnea is 10. Anna didn't say much of her illness, only that she is from Philadelphia and she went to the Children's hospital there. I spent time making friendship bracelets with Anna and playing Jenga while everyone else went to the challenge course. Linnea received many piggy back rides. Both girls are upbeat and happy. I had a blast with them.

Jewelia is another amazing kid. She's 11, and has been in remission since she was 7. She lost 1/2 of one of her kidneys because of her cancer. She's shy but also very lovable. She never said much but she would always give a heart warming smile. I was there to see her cry when she was told she couldn't do something because she lacked 1/2 of a kidney. Jewelia is determined not to let anything stop her from doing what the other children can do. Her brother Mason is very close to her. He turned 10 while we were at camp. I didn't know I made much of an impact on Jewelia because of her shyness but on the last night of camp she came over and made a point to get a hug and say goodbye to me. Then there's Drew. He was one of our smallest campers. He's 9, but he's the size of a 6 or 7 year old. I know he was the one in his family that was sick, but I'm not quite sure how sick since he didn't say much. He's super smart though, always spitting out bits of information. He also had a love for frogs, always wanting to go down to the pond to look for them. He's also quite lovable. He gave many hugs and was always standing behind me just waiting for a piggy back ride. He made all the girls put their phone numbers in his autograph book, quite the ladies' man even at 9. The last volunteer meeting we had, he came into the room and gave all 70+ volunteers a hug.

Oh, I'll also tell you about Molly since she was probably one of the kids who amazed me the most, even if I didn't get very close to her. She's also probably the child who was sickest in my group. My session was off treatment, so all were in remission, but that doesn't mean they're cured or in the clear. Molly was a clear example of that. Molly is in remission but she still has some complications from everything she went through. She has nerve damage in one of her legs and can't feel anything from the knee down. She needs help getting her pants on and other things because of it. She also bears MANY scars on her legs and because of it often wears long socks that go up to her knee. I complimented her on them because many of them were amazingly creative and colorful. She's the oldest of 6 kids with a 7th on the way. Yet, despite all of this she was always willing to help the others. She taught the younger girls how to make bows and flowers out of colored duct tape at our sleep out on Saturday night. She doesn't let anything limit her and it was nice to see her playing volleyball, nuke 'em and doing everything that the other kids could do. Yes, maybe she limped but no one cared. Everyone loved her just as much as the others.

These are the kids that made the entire trip worthwhile. Camp Sunshine was the highlight of my summer and probably will be again next summer. I can't miss it. I have to go every year. Seeing these children being so happy and enjoying the life they could have lost has really really made an impact on me. They weren't kids with cancer or kids who had cancer, they were just kids. Nothing limited them, nothing defined them. They were just themselves and that is something I can't forget. To me it was an inspiration and an uplifting experience. The reward of it all was definitely worth while. The trip was long, but it was amazing. I would do it every day if I could or lived closer to the camp. For now I'll just have to settle with a yearly visit. Seeing these kids really and truly made an impact. I can't begin to do justice to the feeling that I was left with thanks to these children. They have changed my life just as much as they say I have changed theirs. While our goal is to bring sunshine and a good time to the children at Camp Sunshine, I cannot help but think they do the same for us. The happiest moments of my summer, and even possibly my life were received this week at Camp Sunshine. I will never forget the experience and I will surely revisit again and again.