Bill and Laurie Warren of Bear know all too well what it’s like to watch their child spend so much time in the hospital battling an illness that there is no time for them to embrace their childhood.
Kaylyn Warren, who lost her 17-month battle with leukemia in March 2007 when she was 18 years old, was the inspiration behind the oncology camp at St. Joseph’s Center for Community Service in Clayton.
Just a few days before she passed away, Kaylyn visited St. Joseph’s when she told her parents, “This is where I want my camp to be.” And now Kay’s dream has turned into Delaware’s first-ever oncology camp, providing fun activities along with first-class medical care and treatment.
Bill said Kaylyn’s wish was to give kids with cancer a sense of “normalcy” for a week.
“These kids are just like any other kids,” Bill said.
He said the boys and girls try to prank each other. They have water balloons fights and one day, the girls put glitter in their water balloons.
Kay’s Kamp offers some of the same activities any other camp would. The campers learn archery, they went camping, did scrapbooking, and made memory boxes, tie dyed T-shirts, pottery, telescopes, daily newsletters and even went fishing.
Eight-year-old Justin Wilcox liked the camping station, where he was given a compass and learned how to remember what order each direction points.
“Never eat shredded wheat,” Wilcox said, referring to the directions north, east, south and west.
The campers also learned how to pitch a tent. When Wilcox was asked why a tent is used for camping, he replied, “So when it rains you don’t have a waterbed.”
Five-year-old camper Drew Koenig added, “And bears.”
Koenig, of Townsend, also liked his compass and learning how to camp.
“[A compass is used] to tell which way you’re going,” he said.
Bill said all of the volunteers helped to make Kay’s Kamp a success.
“Everybody involved has the heart to be involved,” he said. “When [Kaylyn] got sick, her dream was to start a camp because you don’t get to be a kid anymore. You have to grow up so fast.”
Lisa Schmalbach, executive director of the camp, who has 18 years of oncology camp experience, said she hopes the camp continues to grow from year to year.
“This year we have 11, next year I hope we have 50,” Schmalbach said. “I’ll take 100, we won’t stop.”
Schmalbach said it’s the kids that will keep her coming back every year.
“[It’s] seeing the kids you touch in one week,” she said.
Bill said his family cherished the time they had with Kaylyn because you never know how long you’re going to have.
“We had 17 months to help Kay get better,” he said. “Some parents aren’t so lucky.”
He said the campers formed close relationships with the counselors almost instantly.
“A real bonding takes place, these kids need a real comfort level,” Bill said.
Counselor Kevin Whitestone, a cancer survivor, said he thinks it is comforting for the campers that he once had cancer, too.
“You don’t tell them they have cancer, you tell them there is hope,” he said. “I’m a cancer survivor and they can be too.”
Bill said you have to have a rainstorm before you have a rainbow.
“It’s a really good thing that came from a hard thing,” he said. “Kevin’s giving back to a good thing that came from the hard times he went through. I don’t know what it’s like to go to heaven, but I hope Kay’s looking down seeing her dream come true.”
Clayton, Del. —
