Welcome
to a new chapter in the life of your
family—summer camp! Camp can
provide the opportunity for your
child to widen horizons, make new
friends, and discover new strengths.
However, despite all these
advantages, you, as a parent, may
have mixed feelings about sending
your child to camp. After all,
nothing takes more trust than
handing over the care of your child
to others.
Making the decision
There are several important
considerations with regard to camp.
Among these are:
Is your child ready for
camp?
Which camp is right for your
child?
In deciding about your child’s
readiness for camp, ask yourself how
they handle sleepovers at friends or
grandparents. Is your child
homesick after a few hours or can
they spend the entire night? How
does your child interact with
others? Are they comfortable making
new friends? Is he/she shy, but a
good listener until they get to know
people? Exploring these questions
may help determine whether your
child is ready for the camp
experience.
Hemophilia camps are not all alike.
In Wisconsin, families have three
camping experiences from which to
choose – Camp Courage in Minnesota,
Camp Warren Jyrch in Illinois, and
Camp Bold Eagle in Michigan. These
camps have different physical
settings, philosophies, counselor
mixes, and expectations of campers.
Check with the staff at your
hemophilia treatment center or
chapter and with the parents of
other campers for their thoughts and
experiences. You may wish to learn
how the camp teaches self-infusion,
which medical staff will be
participating (they may or may not
be someone with whom your child is
familiar). Learn what activities
are planned and how the camp handles
children who are homesick. It may
also help to call or visit the camp
prior to sending your child.
Saying “yes” to camp is a big step.
Once you’ve made that important
decision, you can take comfort in
knowing your child is about to
enter a safe place that will help
him to grow, build new skills, and
become more resilient – just as it
will you!
Great Lakes
Hemophilia
Foundation
gratefully
acknowledges our
2010 Campership
donors. Thank you
for making it
possible for youth
with bleeding
disorders to attend
camp this summer!
Assurant
Health
Pat &
Dave
Barlament
Baxter
Healthcare
Bayer
Health
Care
BioRx
BloodCenter
of WI
CSL
Behring
The
Hemophilia
Alliance
Foundation
Dave
Joutras
Rebecca
Keim &
Nathan
Pruitt
Kohl's
Department
Stores
James &
Marilyn
Lampman
Margaret
Mehigan
Jeff
Nelson
Novo
Nordisk
Michael
& Sara
Ottenberg
Pfizer
Healthcare
University
of
Wisconsin
Hospital
&
Clinics
Walgreens
Infusion
Services
The material provided in Headline
News is for your general information
only. GLHF does not give medical
advice or engage in the practice of
medicine. GLHF under no
circumstances recommends particular
treatment for specific individuals,
and in all cases recommends that you
consult your physician or treatment
center before pursuing any course of
treatment.
