TOPSHAM -- Cancer doesn't have to be a reason for a child to miss the fun and excitement of camp. Children affected by cancer, ages 4 through high school, are invited to attend the American Cancer Society's Camp Rainbow during the week of June 15 to 21. The Society, in cooperation with Eastern Maine Medical Center, the Bangor Ronald McDonald House, and the Bangor YMCA Camp Jordan, is celebrating its 21st anniversary of offering this FREE weeklong camp to children with cancer.
Camp Rainbow has been in operation since 1987 and is a special place where kids with cancer can simply smile, laugh and play; a place where they are not treated as "different" or "sick;" a place where they can just be happy, fun-loving kids again. This weeklong camping experience helps meet the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of hundreds of young cancer patients and their families. Attendees participate in fun activities such as swimming, kayaking, volleyball, arts and crafts, singing, and more. The camp operates at Camp Jordan on Branch Lake in Ellsworth, a facility of over 200 acres with a well-developed waterfront, spacious dining hall, ropes course, various athletic areas, a theater stage, and an arts and crafts building.
Children currently in treatment for cancer as well as those who are up to 10 years post-treatment are eligible to attend Camp Rainbow. Children ages 4 to 6 may attend with a parent or guardian; those 7 and older may attend alone. Attendance is subject to the approval of the medical director. Chemotherapy and blood tests are given onsite by the medical staff, and the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Clinic at Eastern Maine Medical Center provides 24-hour medical staffing for the week. Maine children are given preference but out-of-state children are also encouraged to apply.
Campers (including parents) are assigned to age- and gender-matched cabins. Meals are served in the dining hall. There is generally a ratio of eight campers to one cabin counselor, with two staff members in each cabin overnight.
When asked what they liked most about Camp Rainbow, many of last summer's participants remarked that they like how everyone cares about everyone else and how they were able to share their thoughts with others who have or had cancer. When asked what they like least about camp, the general consensus was, "It wasn't long enough!"
For more information and an application for this year's Camp Rainbow, please contact the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering through research, education, advocacy, and patient services. Call 800-ACS-2345, 24 hours a day, every day of the year for cancer information, connections to local resources, or simply to talk with a caring person when you or a family member needs strength and encouragement.
