Summer camps let kids with chronic illnesses be kids
ARAPAHOE, N.C. (June 17, 2013) — This week, the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is making it possible for children with cancer, hemophilia and sickle cell disease to take part in summer camp.
Camp Rainbow, for children with cancer, hemophilia and chronic blood disorders, and Camp Hope, for children with sickle cell disease, began Sunday and will run through Saturday, June 22, at the Don Lee Center on the Neuse River near Arapahoe. The camps are being held simultaneously due to funding shortages.
Media day at the camps will be Thursday, June 20, from 9 a.m.-noon. To schedule an interview for Thursday, contact Jacquelyn P. Sauls or Shannon Skinner by calling the Don Lee Center at 800-535-5475 or 252-249-1106 and asking for the Health Center Camp Rainbow and Camp Hope staff, or text only to 252-916-0051. Directions to the Don Lee Center are online at http://www.donleecenter.org.
The pediatric hematology/oncology staff at the medical school has developed these camps to provide children with a chance to learn more about themselves and their illness. Campers participate in activities such as sailing, swimming, canoeing and crafts. They also make new friends who share common experiences with cancer, hemophilia and sickle cell disease in a monitored environment designed to meet their medical and psychosocial needs.
Approximately 60 campers are expected from the following counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Carteret, Craven, Edgecombe, Greene, Halifax, Johnston, Lenoir, Nash, Onslow, Pitt, Washington and Wayne.
Camp Rainbow and Camp Hope are offered free to children with chronic illnesses and are made possible this year by generous support and donations from the Children’s Miracle Network, the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation, Dr. Linda Willis of Rocky Mount, the Snow Hill Moose Riders, the Greenville Women’s League, Wells Fargo of Greenville and many other local civic organizations and individuals from throughout eastern North Carolina.