In May of 2010 Madelynn was about 21 months old. Because of her heart journey, we had made some new friends who were like us; trudging their way through congenital heart defects (CHD) and everything you never wanted to know about it. Some amazing people wanted to create a camp where kids with CHD's could go to camp and experience everything that goes with it. But what Camp will accept a child with a heart condition let alone what parent would send their heart warrior to overnight camp for a week.
To help families understand what camp would be like the whole family is invited to come to the camp ground for a weekend in May and get a taste of what camp would be like for their heart warrior and one sibling. Madelynn wouldn't be eligible to attend Kids Camp for five more years. I almost didn't go because she was so young, that would have been the worst mistake.
The experience was AMAZING!! We had the best time. As the kids have gotten older each year I wonder will this be the year they won't want to go. In February I registered us to go once again. The same day our bank card was hacked. I tried to mail a check but it never made it. I thought maybe this was God's way of closing the chapter for us on Family Camp.
As I pondered the idea of skipping Family Camp this year, my kids were upstairs playing. I have no idea what they were playing but I suddenly heard them sing "Camp Songs". It made me smile thinking of all the great memories we have of our adventures at Family Camp. So I asked the kids about camp. They first thing they asked me, "Are we going to Family Camp this year?"
"Do you want to go to Family Camp this year?"
A sudden explosion of everyone talking at once and telling me why they want to go back to Family Camp this year. Camp LUCK Family Camp is part of us just as much as we are a part of camp. Some years it is like old home week. Friends you haven't seen in a really long time suddenly appear. You start chatting like you just saw them yesterday. One of my favorite things that happens at camp is that nothing else matters except what is right in front of you right now.
The outside world stops. Living in the moment with lots of laughs, games and new adventures. If there is ever any one thing I want my children to take away from our experience as a heart family and coming to camp is that we lived.
We lived to scale the climbing wall
We lived to learn how to paddle board
We lived to make new friends and renew old ones
We lived to celebrate that we are stronger than CHD
We lived to understand there is more to life than just a CHD
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| Family Camp 2010 First Luau Lunch |
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| She had no idea what to think. |
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| Pure Joy living in the moment with Daddy |
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| Camp is like her second home. |
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| Not afraid of the water or a boat |
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| She loves the archery range. |
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| Her favorite thing to do. |
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| Her favorite camp volunteer. |
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| One year even Aunt Jacquie and Uncle Tony came along. |
Madelynn's CHD diagnosis has no cure and it is forever. We want her to experience everything life has to offer, Family Camp helps us remember that. We hope you all have a great weekend and I will post pictures and hopefully have great stories to tell.
TTFN~
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