Cancer is a devastating disease. Treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy can be grueling for the body and the mind, especially for children and adolescents. At times, these young patients need a place to escape and to reclaim a piece of themselves before cancer struck. That place, since 1986, has been Camp Sunrise, held one week each year at Elks Camp Barrett in Crownsville, Maryland. There about 120 current and former pediatric patients with cancer engage in archery, arts and crafts, hiking, rock-wall climbing, swimming and other activities to enjoy some pure fun and connect with other kids who understand and share their unique experience.
“I was nervous about going to camp but after my first day there I was in love,” says 18-year old Claire Svehla of Baltimore, who underwent two brain surgeries and months of chemotherapy and radiation therapy after she was diagnosed with a pineal brain tumor. “To be able to talk to other patients outside of the hospital, and have the same experience as them, is something you don’t find very often.”
“Being with people who went through what I went through, it’s like they’re family,” says 11-year old Connor Schlude of Arnold, Maryland, who was diagnosed with Rosai-Dorfman disease, a rare disorder manifested by the over-production of a type of white blood cell. Connor has responded well to treatment and now follows up at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center once a year.
“Camp Sunrise gives me the opportunity to meet people like me so I don’t feel so different,” adds 12-year old Ava Edwards of Ellicott City, Maryland, who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, and who attended the most recent camp July 31-Aug. 4. Ava is approaching the third anniversary of her bone marrow transplant, past the two-year mark to be considered cured.
“We’re very fortunate that we live so close to such a great hospital,” says her mom, Susan Edwards.
For Ava and other patients, their camp and hospital experience has motivated them to give back. Ava and her parents, for example, established Ava’s Flavas, and serve free ice cream to patients and families at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and other children’s hospitals throughout the year.
“While Ava was recovering from her bone marrow transplant, she said she wanted to do something fun for children in the hospital being treated for cancer,” says Susan Edwards, Ava’s mom. “The kids, along with their families, love it. Seeing them smile while they’re going through a tough time, we feel like we’re giving them hope.”
Similarly, following her treatment for a brain tumor, Kaitlyn Dorman, 16, of Eldersburg, Maryland, volunteered as an ambassador for Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s Division of Pediatric Oncology to help raise funds for cancer research. She sees the same spirit of giving at Camp Sunrise: “It makes me so happy to see the counselors, volunteers and people helping each other—I think that’s why I love camp so much.”
Experiencing the value of the camp, some patients have undergone leadership training to become counselors. Concluding her first week as a counselor, 19-year-old Elizabeth Hoke of York, Pennsylvania, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, explains, “My counselors were so amazing I wanted to give back. They lead all these activities and connect patients with each other—they help you feel like there’s life after cancer.”
Other campers have found that their experience influences their future as well. As Claire Svehla approaches her freshman year in college this fall, she’s considering nursing as a career. So is Emma Worthington, age 21, from Smithsburg, Maryland, who was diagnosed at age 4 with rhabdomyosarcoma, a very aggressive cancer that required months of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
“I told myself for years I will never be a nurse—I don’t want to be in a hospital,” says Worthington. “But it became apparent nursing was a natural fit for me.”
The camp experience is also about remembering. At the end of each camp, the entire group gathers to plant a tree and decorate it with handmade ornaments to honor campers who lost their battle with cancer.
All in all, it’s a wonderful experience, says Donald Small, director of Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s Division of Pediatric Oncology: “With all the other kids and counselors who have had cancer, they get to be themselves. They say to themselves, ‘Hey, I can get through this too and lead a long productive life. It’s a very special peer group they can’t find anywhere else.”
Click here for more information about Camp Sunrise, which is run by volunteers and free to patients with cancer thanks to grateful families and donors. To support Camp Sunrise, contact Stephanie Davis, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Development Office.