Camp Hope is a place where kids diagnosed with cancer, sickle cell disease, and related blood disorders are offered a chance to experience a traditional summer camp in an environment designed to meet their medical needs. Personally I am familiar with Camp Hope because it has been a saving grace for family members of mine in the past. With this in mind I believe everyone should be well acquainted with Camp Hope and what it really offers to these kids.
The director of Camp Hope as well as executive director of the Camp Hope Foundation is one of our very own, Shelley Lee, former middle school volleyball coach. She has brought this organization to our school as a way to raise money for the camp. We are one of the only schools who participate in this but it serves children throughout Illinois in about 27 different countries. Last year the camp was tallied at 115 campers (70 patients, 45 siblings) and 300 camp volunteers in total.
Camp Hope is a medically supported summer camp designed specifically for children with life-threatening illnesses. Doctors, nurses, and trained medical staff are there throughout the week at camp, allowing campers to participate in activities safely.
For many families, this level of care is what makes attending camp possible.
For Mrs. Fry, a parent whose child attends Camp Hope, the camp has made a lasting impact on her family’s life. She explained as a parent of a son with a life-threatening illness, it can be incredibly hard to let go. She knows he is in such good hands at Camp Hope because his regular doctors and nurses are taking care of him.
When we sat down and talked, Mrs. Fry expressed how sending her child away for a week was initially difficult, as many parents who have never been away from their children for very long struggle to let go. However, knowing he is in capable and familiar hands made the decision easier for her.
When asked how Camp Hope has affected her life, Mrs. Fry said the experience has been overwhelming in the best way possible. It was hard for her to let him go, but Camp Hope has hundreds of other kids he can be with who are in the same situation, there are no outsiders. For one week he gets to be a kid. She also shared why her family continues to return to camp every year. She knows her kids are in great hands, it’s a week where they can have fun and be kids, while her and her husband can just be two worried parents sending their kid to summer camp for the first time.
One of Mrs. Fry’s favorite part of camp is the sense of understanding and community it provides-not only for patients but their siblings as well. Camp Hope is for the patients, yes, but it’s also for the siblings, she explained. No one understands the battle of the siblings as well. It is a place for them to go and be able to find people who share their same chllenges, emotions, and sense of isolation that often accompany being the sibling of someone with a threatening illness.
The focus on siblings sets Camp Hope apart from many other programs. By creating a space where siblings feel seen and supported, the camp addresses an often overlooked part of the journey these families go through.
When asked what advice she would give to other parents, Mrs. Fry said “It’s hard letting go, especially when you’ve worked so hard to keep your child safe.” She continued,”But Camp Hope is an amazing place. The kids are in incredible hands with their doctors, and it allows them to feel like a regular kid while taking some weight off of your shoulders as a parent.”
Having to watch someone go through any kind of life threatening illness is incredibly difficult. It is draining and it is a terrible experience. Having to watch your child go through it when you have made it your job to keep them safe is another kind of hurt. This camp helps ease the weight of a harsh reality for a week because the parent is not the one administering chemo, making sure they’re still breathing, or constantly worrying if they’ll make it through the night. Camp Hope is the grace these parents get, even if only for a short time, they are able to let their kids be kids while they get to replace their doctor instincts with their parental instincts.
