Alice’s Story

“For Alice, treatment was like getting abducted by aliens.”

Alice’s chemo treatments were very challenging. It was a low point when four nurses had to pin her down. I remember thinking: for Alice, it must be like getting abducted by aliens once a week and not know what’s happening or why it hurts so much afterwards. During treatment, she developed PTSD and was cautious around everyone. People couldn’t hug or touch her, including her friends.

That’s why we weren’t sure what to expect at camp. But from the moment we arrived, it was crystal clear that everyone knew how to befriend Alice: wait for her to approach you first. Within a few hours of our arrival, we could tell she felt safe and comfortable enough to go off on her own with counsellors and friends.

Today, Alice is so comfortable and happy at Campfire Circle. She climbs up that rock wall like a natural and she makes new friends every time she goes. And for us, we make amazing connections with other families—it’s like therapy.

Kids like Alice, they go through so much that they shouldn’t have to: tests, needles, missing out on school and sports and parties. At camp, it all disappears. Camp is a world, a haven, where your kids can just be kids. It’s just the best. We are so grateful to Campfire Circle—because of you, Alice can just be a five-year-old girl, not a girl with cancer.
-The Bankuti Family