Smile-A-Mile

Category: 2023 Camp Photo
Name of Entry: “Walking Through This Journey Together”
Contact Name: Ellie Barrentine
Contact Phone: 2053238427
Entry Background/Description: Children who walk the journey of pediatric cancer have many days of deep loneliness. For many of them, some of their best friends are the nurses and doctors on the floor or in Clinic where they receive their treatments. They often spend more time in the hospital with the medical staff than they do with peers their own age. This is why camp matters so much! Camp is an integral part of their pediatric cancer journey. This is the place where they can be together with others on the same journey. At camp, children get to spend time with friends, old and new, who are fighting the same fight. They learn what it means to be surrounded by people who understand what they have been through in a way that others simply can’t. Camp is a place where children who may never have the opportunity to know each other become best friends. While the pediatric cancer journey is arduous, camp is a place where you find friends to walk with you to make the load a little lighter.