Who knew one of the best experiences of my life would happen in Clarksville, Ohio? Certainly not me! I had the absolute pleasure and privilege of being a counselor at the Amputee Coalition's Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp a few weeks ago in July. The camp is held on a campground in Ohio called Camp Joy. I think the word 'joy' pretty much sums up the week.
Volunteering and being a part of the community that I work in is really important to me - it helps me feel more connected and gives me a chance to give back and see a different side to what I am doing. I was involved in many things with childhood cancer and as soon as I decided to go into prosthetics, I quickly looked for opportunities to get involved. Pediatrics is where my heart is so that is where I began my search. Thankfully, the Amputee Coalition had a place that was exactly what I was looking for :)
I was chosen to be a camp counselor and lucked out enough to be assigned to the most wonderful cabin of 16 year old girls. It is everything you are picturing in your head - eyeliner, loads of blow drying, ripped t-shirts, giggling, screaming, discussions of annoying boyfriends, outfit changes and lots of opinions. It was perfection. It was an extreme lack of sleep and worth every waking hour. I felt so energized and so inspired by watching these kids (aged 10-17) with limb loss crushing every stereotype someone might put on them. Does a quadrilateral amputee need my help getting water out of the cooler? Absolutely not. Does having an above the knee amputation mean you cannot complete a ropes course 35 feet of the ground? No way.
There was archery and swimming, dance class and fishing. There were numerous skits and meaningful late night chats in the cabin. Rock climbing and arts and crafts, canoeing and a game involving a ball called 'Gaga.' There was bacon every morning and debatable hamburgers, milk in individual cartons and rice krispie treats. There are 4 different friendships bracelets on my right wrist and a piece of yarn that all hold great significance to me.
I could write for hours about my experience at camp and it still would not do it justice. From dancing the night away and learning how to do 'The Wobble' to getting a cooler full of ice cold water dumped on my blindfolded self, the entire week was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. It was uplifting, it was heartwarming, it was eye-opening and perception changing. It's funny how I went as a volunteer and was there to be giving back to the kids in the amputee community, but I left knowing that I received more from them than I could possibly have given.
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