Serving Kids with Serious Illness

This August, Campfire Circle, in partnership with Camp Jumoke and Camp Oki, hosted a week-long overnight camp session for kids with serious blood disorders and heart diseases.

“The day I arrived at Campfire Circle was the first time I had met anyone with my condition,” says 13-year-old Sarah*. “When my cabinmate told me she has sickle cell disease too, and that most people at camp here do, it made me feel at home.”

Sickle cell disease affects hemoglobin within red blood cells, which can cause anemia, pain, infections and severe complications that lead to hospitalization.

“For a lot of our families, there’s a stigma attached to some chronic illnesses, especially hereditary illnesses,” says Dr. Melanie Kirby-Allen, a haematologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. “So, it’s good for kids to get out and share and know that they’re not alone. It builds confidence and self-esteem. We see children coming to camp and blossoming.”

Prior to coming to camp, Sarah memorized the map of the Muskoka campsite and scoped out Campfire Circle’s website to get ready for the experience ahead. “I wanted to be prepared,” she says. “And camp really met all my expectations and more.”

The week had many highlights for Sarah including canoeing for the first time, getting on the high ropes, and swimming in the lake.

“For children with sickle cell disease, swimming for example, can be a challenge as sometimes they can get sick [known as a vaso-occlusive crisis] shortly after exposure to cold temperatures. What we do here is allow them to swim for a limited time, come out, and get warm. They go into the warming cabin, which helps to prevent them from getting sick and allows them to do what everybody else could do,” says Dr. Kirby.

For Sarah, the week at camp was more than just an opportunity to experience new outdoor adventures. “I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned from coming to camp is inclusivity. I feel like I belong, and when you feel like you belong, you can do anything. I’ve learned how to cheer people up, because they’ve cheered me up. That’s something I’m going to take with me after camp ends.”

Judy Grandison, President of Camp Jumoke, a camp dedicated to kids with sickle cell disease, and a camper parent, says that having an opportunity to send kids to a camp that is medically supervised is like providing a whole new world to them. “For parents of children with sickle cell disease, we live with a disease that can strike at any moment. That is very unstable and scary,” she says.

“Camp has meant a chance for my child to thrive, to grow, to flourish. Camp has been a place where he has explored his abilities, where he tried new activities, things that I would never have allowed him to try. When I got my child back from camp, he was a totally different person. He was more outgoing, he was excited and energized, and he looked forward to going the following year,” says Judy.

Through this partnership, over 100 campers from Camp Jumoke and Camp Oki were able to come to Muskoka. We are looking ahead to how we can continue to serve and engage this population throughout the year. Campfire Circle plans to maximize our programs next summer to support more kids with life-impacting illnesses at camp.