Chillins of MDA

I enjoyed my third and final year at the Muscular Dystrophy Association's summer camp for kids. As hard as it was not being able to see nor speak to my husband for an entire week, it was an experience I'll never forget. I was lucky enough to get paired with my camper, Kaden, for the third year in a row. Most volunteer-camper pairs have an adjustment period for a few days while they figure each other out. Kade-oh and I are way past that by now. He was so excited the first night that he decided it would be fun to keep all of the other 12 people awake in our cabin by singing not-so-pleasant songs. I had no qualms about telling him what was what which finally got him asleep. From literally carrying him to the bathroom to brush his teeth to begging him to change his dirty socks, there were several times we were ready to pull each others hair out. But somehow, through it all, he ended the week in tears and clinging to my waste because he didn't want to be separated for yet another year. Kade has showed me that even though he's facing such a destructive disease like MD, he can still see the bright side of life and enjoy it to the fullest.

Third year together--summer 2012



Second year together--summer 2011





First year together--summer 2010
How things have changed!

 As much as I love and adore Kaden, he is not the only kid that is near and dear to my heart. Last year, a six year old little boy named Ryan was put in our same group. He has a much more severe form of MD than Kade and can't do much for himself. He DOES, however, have a magnetic personality that makes everyone drawn to him. He has the sweetest squeaky voice that simply melts your heart. His favorite things are kisses on the cheek and singing "Single Ladies" to anyone who is within ear shot of him. I love this little boy and will never forget his bright smile!



Ryan cheesing it up--summer 2012



 

Being obsessed with our hair--summer 2011

Ryan's amazing talent

Not all children with MD have only a muscle disease to battle with. Three brothers we called the "Honey Boys" also have severe autism. All three of them were in our cabin, which made for interesting bedtimes. I have never worked closely with autistic children, but from what I have studied of them, they have a hard time expressing their emotions to others. Perhaps it was the magic of MDA Camp, or maybe these boys are truly remarkable, but I had many special moments with each of them. Joshua (9) is the oldest and also has a severe form of exima where his skin is cracked and dry all over his body. But none of his disabilities stopped him from having the time of his life. He was obsessed with my camera and LOVED taking funny pictures of us. Andrew (7) woke us up every morning with growls coming from his bunk bed--he thought he was a dinosaur sometimes I think. He knew what was going on a lot more than he let on. Since I was our cabin leader, it was my job to make sure everyone was following the rules--one of which is lights out at 10. I told all the boys they couldn't turn their flash lights on anymore. After Andrew turned his on for about 2 seconds, all I had to do was clear my throat and immediately he shut it off--I must have been scarier than the dinosaur he thought he was! And then there's Anthony (6) who I adored instantly. Unlike his brothers, he actually let you hug him and hold his hand for extended periods of time. On the last night when I went to tuck him in, I gave him a kiss on the cheek which resulted in a HUGE grin across his face. I proceeded to kiss his other cheek, then his forehead because he liked it so much. Before I knew it, he grabbed my face and gave me a big, sloppy, wet one! As you can see, these boys could express their emotions just fine with a little bit of love and attention.

Josh's cute, toothless grin

Haha Andrew totally fell asleep at the final dance

Precious little Anthony

Thanks to MDA Camp, I will never be the same. And I don't want to be. Loves to all the amazing volunteers and brave MDA kids that make summer camp possible!