Camp Little Red Door helps restore a sense of normalcy for children with cancer

Going away to summer camp is a tradition for many children, but what if you are a child who has cancer? Thanks to Camp Little Red Door, that can still happen.

Fox 59 spent the day at Bradford Woods in Martinsville, where children with cancer are getting a reprieve from their normal day-to-day challenges.

?I didn't know what to think, I just knew times were going to be tough,? said Ciera Little as she thought back on when she was first diagnosed with bone cancer at just 8 years old.

Times were tough, but now, as a teenager and a cancer survivor, she has a support group full of children and teens who know what it's like.

?I say that you can get through it since I did when I was 5 years old and since I got through it, you can,? said Ryan Lopez, also a cancer survivor.

?You share what each other is going through, you share goals and you just share an experience that nobody else really understands,? Little said.

Camp Little Red Door is also about restoring a sense of normalcy.

?You can do anything and everything that you want and not have to worry about the medical aspect of it,? said Anna Buchheit.

Buchheit initially went to camp along with her younger sister who battled childhood cancer. She returned year after year and is now a camp counselor.

Just like any other camp, they go hiking, fishing and do activities like archery and basketball.? The idea is to just let them have fun and be kids.

Buchheit said it is important because she knows they've been forced to grow up too quickly as they dealt with very grown-up issues.

?We understand different emotions, different experiences. We take life differently than others might,? Buchheit said.

?It has been really sad and hard for me to know that some of my friends have died from cancer,? Lopez said.

The campers also know each year, they have camp to look forward to and they invite other children who have been through cancer treatment to join them.

?It?s just like a big family. No matter what, just come for your first year because the staff makes you feel incredible,? Little said.

The camp is held for one week each summer and there is a full medical staff on site.

The cost for each camper is $1,250, but Little Red Door fundraises and gets donations so each camper only has to pay $25 for the week. Even that amount can be waived if finances are a concern. Each camper is also allowed to bring a sibling or friend with them to camp each year.

If you'd like to donate to Camp Little Red Door or look into next year's camp, click here.

Source: http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-camp-little-red-door-helps-restore-a-sense-of-normalcy-for-children-with-cancer-20120830,0,6908278.column?track=rss

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