Medical school hosts camps for children with cancer, sickle cell disease

Published Jun 16, 2009 by
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GREENVILLE, N.C. —   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 20, at the Don Lee Center on the Neuse River near Arapahoe. The camps are being held simultaneously due to funding shortages.

Campers have fun on the water. Photo by Cliff Hollis

Media day at the camps will be Wednesday, June 17, from 9-11:30 a.m. To schedule an interview for Wednesday, 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 Camp Rainbow and Hope staff. 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, and make new friends who share common experiences with cancer, hemophilia and sickle cell disease in a medically monitored environment designed to meet their medical and psychosocial needs.

Approximately 80 total campers are expected from the following counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Craven, Edgecombe, Greene, Halifax, Lenoir, Nash, Northampton, Pitt, Washington, Wayne and Wilson.

Camps Rainbow and Hope are offered free of charge 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, Koinonia Christian Center in Greenville, the Optimist Club of Garner, Dr. Linda Willis of Rocky Mount, Clavenia “CJ” Moore and friends and family of Rocky Mount and many local civic organizations and individuals.