CAMP TRILLIUM

I think I was more excited than Brian and Aly ..... but I was looking forward to going to Camp Trillium.  I never went to camp as a kid and regardless of what my mom says, I think I would have liked it.  Okay maybe not when I was 8 or 9, but definitely when I was a bit older.  I had missed the registration date for last summer, and I was quite upset that we didn't get to go.  When I received the confirmation in the mail for this summer - I was so excited.  I was even more excited to know that we were going at the same time as another family we knew from clinic AND we were sharing a cabin with them.  I chose the last week available for camp - I thought it would be a great way to end the summer.  We had a busy summer this year, and I felt like it was the first real summer we were able to enjoy.  We did have some visits to the emergency room and a couple of admissions, but nothing serious. We went to Disney, we went camping, Aly and I went to Blue Mountain with some good friends and now it was time for camp!!

We packed all our gear, followed the list provided by Camp Trillium and we were set!  We headed to Prince Edward County and parked our car just outside Wellington in a farmers field. They loaded our stuff into the boats and we were off!  I was enjoying the moment - the sun was shining, the wind was warm and everyone in the boat was excited.  What I didn't realize, was how emotional this week was going to be and it all began as the boat turned the corner and made it's way toward the dock.
The dock was full - - counsellors ( at camp trillium they call them special friends) were all dressed up with a Dr Seuss them ... jumping up and down, waving and full of excitement.  It was a bit overwhelming to me to know that a camp like this exists.  I am sure every camp has a similar experience  - where life long bonds are formed, a team of counsellors and staff dedicated to making your time at camp memorable - - but this camp is different, and it was evident the moment I saw it.  I was struck with emotion as the boat docked.  The staff had definitely done their homework.  Aly's special friend walked right up to her and said - you must be Aly "my name is Brittany and I am going to be your special friend for the week". Aly immediately went to her and gave her a big hug - thank goodness I had my RayBans on!  She walked us to our cabin then gave us a quick tour of the camp.  We arrived just after 4pm, so we only had a little time to settle in before we headed for dinner.  The cabins were far from luxurious, the food was cafeteria style - but everything ran on a schedule and it was a well oiled machine.  For many years the Canadian Cancer Society used to provide funding so that Camp Trillium could operate each year.  They no longer provide that funding - actually they do not provide any funding specific to childhood cancer.  The camp relies fully on donations from large organization and private donors. ( Okay - rant over .. back to my happy place).

There were activities for the kids and there were activities for the parents - but they were optional.  Most days we participated in events, and there were other days were we spent the day chatting with other parents, napping in the hammock or reading in the shade.  Aly was always with her special friend.  She would wake Aly up just before 8am and each morning they participated in the Polar dip ...brrrrr.  Then she would take her to breakfast - then they were off.  They did crafts, they went swimming, fishing, canoeing, played games and even went on unicorn hunts ( Aly's favourite).  We would meet up with her again at lunch - then spend an hour with her after lunch - then she was off again.  We would see her again at dinner, spend a bit of time with her after dinner ... then they would have a campfire and once that was over, her special friend would take her down the body shop where the nurses would give her her nightly dose of chemo, then she would read her a story and tuck her in.  They would stay in the cabin with the kids until 11pm - that was the parent's curfew.  It was great.

Ok - so back to this campfire.  Each night there was campfire.  The staff would put on shows and they were always full of music and laughter.  On the first night I was familiar with the routine ... as the sun began to set, someone pulled out a guitar and everyone put their arms around the person next to them and began to sway side to side ..... and they began singing the "good night song".  Emotional moment # 2 for me.  Wow - the lyrics were great ..... "when you need someone to talk to, or you just need someone to hold.  Now you know you've got someone to turn to ....."  and "may you dream of love, peace and hope and may all of your dreams come true." The lyrics totally capture the camp experience and challenges that all the families have faced.  In our normal worlds, not very many people can relate to the feeling, emotions and challenges that we go through when your child has cancer.  Except here it is different. Everyone gets it.  These are people you have a bond with - you can laugh with them, cry with them and sometimes you can just stand with them and now what they are going through.

This week was life changing for me.  Sounds intense, but it's true.  It not only gave us time away to relax and unwind - it gave us hope. As we chatted with the counselors, we found out that many of them have been coming to Camp Trillium for years.  They were once campers.  Some of them had siblings who had cancer, some of them were childhood cancer survivors themselves.  They are the ones that gave me hope.  They were healthy, active and intelligent (young) adults.  Some of them were Nursing students or enrolled in pre-med programs.  They were confident, they were intelligent ..... they were leaders and they were survivors.  This is what I needed to see.  I needed hope.  I needed to know that Aly would have every chance of having a normal life, to live a normal life - to go to school - to be a leader and to be happy.  They said they barely remember going through treatment and that they really only remember the good times.  The nurses being nice to them, and always being surrounded by loved ones they would rely on.

I look forward to many more years of memories at Camp Trillium.