Stanley Stamm Summer Camp
A week of fish guts, laughter, and fun...
Each August, Seattle Children’s Stanley Stamm Summer Camp gives nearly 100 children with chronic medical conditions the chance to go fishing, ride horses and take part in other typical summer camp activities at a week-long sleepover camp near Mt. Rainier. Our camp, founded by Seattle Children's heart specialist Dr. Stanley Stamm, includes a Seattle Children’s medical team and a fully equipped infirmary so that children who are unable to attend other camps due to unique and often complex medical needs can join in the fun (SCH Website).
I had the gracious opportunity to volunteer as a cabin counselor for Cabin 1 Boys (age 5-8) at Stanley Stamm Summer Camp for the past two years. As a cabin counselor, I was responsible in taking care of every camper's daily activities including hygiene and toiletries, dressing, feeding, and transporting them between activities. Some campers have chronic medical conditions such as Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which require extra attention.
It is always exciting to meet these young campers in the beginning of the camp and watch them laugh and grow with confidence as the week progresses. As they tackle their fears of riding horses to learning how to catch fishes with bait, I am with them in every step of these processes. It is bittersweet to say goodbye to them in the end of the camp, but I know I will always be able to see them next summer!
These kids fuel my passion for pediatrics and always remind me of why I went into medicine.
They make the long, stressful nights of studying worth it!
Here is a conversation between a camper and me on the last day of camp:
Me: "I'll see you next year, okay?"
Camper: "No, silly! I'll see you tomorrow."
Me: "Camp is over. We all have to go back home. But we'll be back next year!"
Camper: "Stop. Um. No...wait a minute. You and me, here tomorrow, okay?"
I had the gracious opportunity to volunteer as a cabin counselor for Cabin 1 Boys (age 5-8) at Stanley Stamm Summer Camp for the past two years. As a cabin counselor, I was responsible in taking care of every camper's daily activities including hygiene and toiletries, dressing, feeding, and transporting them between activities. Some campers have chronic medical conditions such as Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which require extra attention.
It is always exciting to meet these young campers in the beginning of the camp and watch them laugh and grow with confidence as the week progresses. As they tackle their fears of riding horses to learning how to catch fishes with bait, I am with them in every step of these processes. It is bittersweet to say goodbye to them in the end of the camp, but I know I will always be able to see them next summer!
These kids fuel my passion for pediatrics and always remind me of why I went into medicine.
They make the long, stressful nights of studying worth it!
Here is a conversation between a camper and me on the last day of camp:
Me: "I'll see you next year, okay?"
Camper: "No, silly! I'll see you tomorrow."
Me: "Camp is over. We all have to go back home. But we'll be back next year!"
Camper: "Stop. Um. No...wait a minute. You and me, here tomorrow, okay?"