Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Rheumar Has It: Camp Boggy Creek is the best thing EVER!

Hello everyone!
  So today's rheumar is completely not a rumor! I went to the Arthritis Family Weekend at Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis Florida this weekend and has the best time ever!!!!!!!!!!! It's hard to explain everything I felt and what it was like but I'll try! First I'll tell you about camp!

So Camp Boggy Creek is part of the "Hole in the Wall Camps" which was started by Paul Newman (and some other guy) and it is a camp for children with serious or terminal illness. They started it so that the kids who are sick could have a camp to go to like the other kids. It also gives the kids and parents to talk to other people going through the same things they are! And it's a place for the kid to not get picked on by bullies at school and get away from being stereotyped as "the sick kid" or "the kid with cancer". I watched a video (http://www.boggycreek.org/2006/video.asp?file=/2006/boggy.flv&title=A%20Little%20Piece%20Of%20Magic) about Boggy that had a bunch of kids talking about how Boggy is what gets them through the tough times. They think about how great it is and push through so that they can go again. They have 9 camps in the United States, Washington, California, Colorado, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, New York and Connecticut. And they also have camps around the world! Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Hungry, Israel, Vietman, Cambodia, Uganda, Ethipoia, Malawi, Swasiland, Lesotho (the last 5 are in Africa). The camp is funded by Newman's Own products, like salad dressing, juice, salsa, pizza, popcorn, cereal and sauces, they've given 295 Million since 1982!! How amazing!!! So who can go to these camps?

During the school year they have what's called Family Weekends (which is what I did) and each weekend is specific to a certain illness or disease. They have camps for Spina Bifida, heart, diabetes, cancer, kidney/IDB/immune deficiency, asthma, sickle cell, craniofacial (like cleft palate), and KOVAC (kids on ventillated assisted care) bleeding disorders/hemophilia, rheumatic/arthritis. During the family weekends the family can bring their whole family!! Mom, dad, kids, guardian! And the best part is is that it is completely and 100% FREE for the family! (Minus travel expenses like gas) Which is totally amazing because these families have to pay soooooooooo much for their medical bills in addition to this terrible economic climate.

Ok so, during family weekend when you volunteer there you're either a family pal or an activity pal. (Every pal gets paired with a family) A family pal is with an assigned family all weekend. Wherever the family is, that's where they are. But an activity pal is at an assigned area (boating and fishing, archery, woodshop, pool,

Then during the summer they offer week long camps for kids with the same illnesses in addition to epilepsy and transplant kids. But this time it's just the kids who go! Ages 7-16!

It was soo amazing! Everyone should go and volunteer! It's totally worth it!! My rambling on about camp doesn't do it justice! You need to check it out for yourself!! Id like to throw out a special shout out to my Iowa friends, Eric, Joseph and Jacob! You all are fabulous!! And another shout out to my fantastic family but I can't say their name for privacy things but they were wonderful and amazing!! I can't wait to see them again!!

That's all for now! Sorry it took me forever to post, it's been pretty busy around! Until next time!!
-Kelley K