Burn Camp 2009

This past week I was at Burn Camp. Since 2005 I have been spending the 3rd week of July in Union, CT at an overnight summer camp for children with burn injuries. The staff are made up of mostly firefighters. The rest of us are burn nurses, therapists, and burn survivors, to name a few. For one week we come together from Boston, New York, Connecticut, and DC to provide a fun, supportive and safe place for children to be children. Even though it's only one week a year, it is such a big part of my life. That place and those people are incredibly special.

This year was our biggest year with 75 campers. The theme was Disney. I was assigned to group 3 and we named ourselves “The Disney Do-Das”. Myself and 3 other counselors were in charge of 11 10-11 year olds. At night I bunked with the senior girls (15-18 years old). Group 3 was fantastic. The kids were full of energy and fun to hang out with. We had 4 new campers who all, by the end of the week, where sad to leave and couldn’t wait for next year. My senior girls always provide good company around the camp fire at night. We experiment with s’mores and eat more junk than anyone should consume in one week. This year, the new s’more was with Andes mints. They were tasty, but our best discovery to date is peanut butter cups invented 2 years ago. It’s magic in your mouth and sweeping camp sites everywhere.

Mother Nature was on our side for the majority of the week. It rained a few times but we were only rained in once. At the beginning of the week the nights were cold, but got progressively warmer. We had plenty of sunny days to enjoy the lake. My favorite past times include convincing a child to swim out to the dock or to row a canoe for-I mean WITH me out to explore the water and relax in the sun. Though, you can’t expect to relax if there are others out on the water. The children get a big kick out of splashing and tipping other boats. It’s fun, sure, except that the boat needs to then be towed back to shore and there are some very slimy and grassy sections! Elch! I adopted a new adventure for the kids, instead. I allow them to jump out of the boat. This keeps me dry(er) and there is no towing involved. Sometimes they even climb back in to help me row in. Everybody wins!

Other activities include archery, hiking, arts and crafts, field games, firefighter games (with a working engine and actual gear) and a high and low ropes course. I love watching the kids shoot the aarows. Some of them look so small behind the bows! But they never fail to impress me with their efforts.

Firefighter games are like a firefighting version of tug-o-war. The kids gear up and split into two teams; each with a hose attached to the engine. The goal is to aim at a keg hung on a string that stretches across the field. The first team to force the keg to the opposite side wins. The guys love getting behind the hoses and teaching the kids how to use them. The hoses are tremendously heavy and powerful. It, indeed, takes a lot of teamwork and communication.

Ropes is probably my favorite camp activity. The ropes staff are not only highly skilled, but absolutely great with the kids. Watching them work with them is truly inspiring. They promote teamwork and encouragement like no other. My most moving and memorable moments at camp have been on the ropes course. Children face their fears and overcome tremendous feats with the undying support and encouragement from the staff and their peers. Watching a child accomplish something that challenges them is not only humbling, but a true testament that anything is possible, teamwork can move mountains, and that limitations are only in our heads.

I compared camp and south africa months ago in this blog. Even though the time spent at each place is vastly different, they each provided me with a transient moment in time of intense significance. In each experience I am challenged both physically and mentally, I work along side truly dedicated, caring, and benevolent people. In each experience I am welcomed into a world that teaches me about myself by showing me the strength and beauty in others. Each experience (in a different way) removes me from the outside world and into a much smaller world. One that is filled with incredible, life-changing moments and fosters the most remarkable relationships. The end is always difficult. Whether its 10 days or 3 months, it's always a struggle to get both feet back into the real world again. But I take with me the lessons, the wisdom and the relationships I feel so very fortunate to have been granted.