[todeen]

I just got home from a week as a summer camp counselor for the Crohns and Colitis Foundation "Camp Oasis." It's for 2nd grade thru 11th grade. There were roughly 85 kids, plus 25+ adults, all with some form of IBD. Altogether, there are 10 camps around the nation. It was a very beautiful week. It was especially touching to see the adults care so much to bring inspiration to these kids that they can have normal type lives and that they aren't freaks or defects. My co-counselors' careers: Jackson Hole ski instructor; a prospective Catholic priest; numerous recent college graduates in finance, economics, space, and biology; a couple teachers including me; plus the med team of doctors, nurses, mental health experts, and a trained chef. The camp was mostly a normal summer camp, but after dinner we would have fireside chats that focused more on IBD experiences and education. We had a bunch of kids who are continual patrons, and they said that each year has roughly 30% new participants. This was my first year as a counselor, and in 10 years of being diagnosed, it was the first time I was face to face with another confirmed IBD patient. The counselors had two nights off that allowed us to bond, while regular YMCA Camp Colman staff watched the kids.



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