Hemophilia doesn’t dampen the fun at Wanakita
August 13, 2010
Leslie Ferenc
STAFF REPORTER
KOSHLONG LAKE, HALIBURTON—As he sits on a rock next to the campfire, Alexander Lee licks globs of marshmallow oozing between two chocolate chip cookies.
It’s messy, but oh so yummy. Not bad for a first-timer who has never made or eaten a s’more before.
“Now that’s good,” said the 10-year-old, a first-time camper at YMCA Wanakita. “My mom wanted me to come, and I’m glad I did. It’s better than I dreamed it would be.”
So far, he’s managed to check off lots of other items on his ‘to do’ list.
• Making new friends.
• Canoeing.
• Camping out under the stars on an island.
• Playing new games like “camouflage” with his new friends.
• Making pizza over an open fire.
• Oh yes, infusing factor all by himself.
“I’m learning to put the needle in myself,” said Alexander, who was attending Hemophilia Ontario’s summer camp program at Wanakita. Hemophilia is a blood disorder that prevents clotting, he explained. Alexander has a severe form.
“If I get big bruises, I have to take factor. You always infuse in the right arm, left vein. Sometimes, the vein plays hide-and-go-seek. Today I had to do it in the right vein, left arm. I need to do it because if I don’t … oh-oh.”
Alexander’s special needs are listed on his medic alert bracelet. The bracelet (some kids wear necklaces) provides vital information about his condition to ensure he gets proper care in an emergency. And should Alexander need help, it’s only a few steps away at the Bayer Den.
Tanner Langille, 13, is also a newbie at Wanakita. He likes being part of the mainstream camp, sleeping in cabins with other kids and participating in all activities right along with them. “You make so many new friends,” he said.
In short, there are no “hemos” at camp. Only kids who want to have fun.
Like the other boys, Craig Stewart has a severe form of hemophilia that rules out participating in contact sports. “If I get hurt, it could cause internal bleeding,” said the 13-year-old. But at camp, he can participate in a host of activities like canoeing, kayaking and other sports — no worries.
The reason is the team of nurses at the Bayer Den, including Anne Marie Stain, nurse co-ordinator for the pediatric comprehensive care hemophilia clinic at Sick Kids in Toronto; Diane Bissonnette, hemotology clinic case manager at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa; and Betty Ann Paradis, hemophilia nurse co-ordinator for Sudbury and Northeastern Ontario. They’re a fixture at Wanakita, which they attend on their vacation time, along with the kids who normally come to their clinics back home. Most parents wouldn’t send their children to camp otherwise.
Their main role is to teach kids 7 to 16 how to take care of themselves and be independent when it comes to infusing life-saving medication. Injuries are looked after immediately, and in emergencies there’s a hospital nearby.
“We hand out lots of icepacks and hugs,” said Bissonnette. They do plenty more.
Paradis says the kids at camp, many of whom away from home for the first time, have their undivided attention, and often cuddles and treats. But the environment for learning is relaxed and the setting idyllic. “It’s not a chore,” she said.
And it means even kids with serious disorders can just be kids. Being part of the extended Wanakita family “gives them the confidence in life that they’re part of society,” said Stain. “It’s win-win for everybody.”
You can help send a disadvantaged child to camp. Please consider giving to the Star Fresh Air Fund.
Featured Sponsored Listings