CF Camp

Mockingbird

New member
When I was a child, I used to go to a week-long camp every summer for CF patients. Unfotunately, I had to stop going because of the risk of cross-infection. I don't think they even run the camp anymore because the risk is just too high. What I am wondering is if there is anyone else out there who used to go to a CF Camp. I remember it was an awesome experience every summer and I really miss it. If there is anyone out there who has been to Camp Red Cliff, I definetely want to hear from you! My e-mail is jarodbulthuis@hotmail.com. Hope to hear from you.Jarod22 with CF
 

AbsintheSorrow

New member
I went once. I went to the Florida Keys, and the camp was a week long. After a day and a half, my mom arranged to fly me back home. The women who ran it were obese and they smoked like chimneys. They thought because they were nurses, that they automatically knew my health better than I did, at age 17. Trust me, I knew better. The one thing about that camp besides the nurses that pissed me off was that it was not a camp for CF kids. It was a CF camp. Difference being, it was entirely run around treatments. It was hardly a camp. They scheduled certain treatments for certain times, and even if I didn't need a specific treatment, I had to stick around. I had to stay in the "treatment room" and be bored. And I was not the only one who didn't need the therapy and was bored. I should've been allowed to go swimming or something instead. And lastly, those nurses again. They tried to impose treatments on me that I do not normally do. I don't get physical therapy, because I don't usually need it. And if I do, I'll go to the gym, and that gets me coughing. The nurses tried to tell me I had no choice, and had to have the therapy. It was very irritating. I hate people who think they know me better than I do just because they're medically certified. That's nice and all, but I was the one that had been living in this body for 17 years (20 now), and I knew my personal health better than they did. I will never return to a CF camp. I don't like camp anyway. But that completely turned me off.
 

anonymous

New member
Steve Ratajack here, 16 years old. I went for 2 years when i was 12-13, at Camp Salem in Ohio. I loved it there, we did alot of fun activites. Im not sure if they do it still or not because after my 2nd year, i got cross-infected with an advanced Pseudemonia, and i had to stop going. We had a swimming pool, a big lake, tennis courts, basketball courts, dance pavilion, bb-gun range, and an archery range.
 

anonymous

New member
I loved going to CF camp when I was a kid. It was in the mountians near Deckers Colorado. Everyone (except parents) came, older patients, the nurses and all the docotrs from the clinic. At the time, the Denver Children's hospital had the only CF clinic, so everyone could take a week off and come. It was a blast!Debbie23 w/ CF
 

bowlingguy

New member
i never went myself was to worried about "getting something" ...lol..anyway i believe it was stopped here back in 89-91 somewhere in there when sepatia, and MCA ? or something like that started to transfer around, was about the same time they stopped rooming us with other cf'er as impatients...
 

Mockingbird

New member
You really missed out, bowling guy! =-) Absin the Sorrow, I am sorry about your experience as well. Though there was a very dangerous risk, especially toward the end, I think it was worth it (Of course, I never caught anything; if I did, I might be singing a different tune.) Camp Red Cliff Was in Utah. Later, it was moved and renamed Camp Wood after Carol Wood, an amazing lady and one of the Camp's caring patrons. I will always remember it as Camp Red Cliff, though. It was a very beautiful place, and every year it was full of caring people that made me forget there was even such a thing as CF. My favorite part was the crafts. Every day there would be something new to paint or stitch or whatever. Every year they would have a tye-dye day, too where we would get to tye-dye tee-shirts, and there was always a day reserved to go to a nearby amusement park. And of course there was a swimming pool. Oh, yeah, and there was a stream that people could actually catch fish in! =-) I could go on and on, but I would still forget half of what I did there. Anyway, this sort of thing is impossible to do now, so I'm not sure why I even brought this topic up except I have so many fond memories. Sometimes when I want to laugh, I break out the camp year-books and go through them all. Of course, I usually end up crying. (But happy crying! not the other one.) Well, actually, sometimes I end up sad crying, too, because each book would have a memorial section for the people who died during the year. I remember each year, everyone would help plant a tree on the campground for each person that died (sniff). Anyway, whenever I need a real pick-me-up I always go for my own little craft box that I have and make a stupid little keychain, or paint a ceramic figurine, or make a necklace; there about a million things I can do, and it feels like I'm that blond-haired little boy again... Oh, yeah! There were card games, hundreds of them, always breaking out all over the place because there were always a million used card decks donated by the casinos in Nevada, and water fights, too. Huge water fights involving unimaginable proportions of water. One time someone was even using a fire hose... =-) Okay, I'll stop. For all of you who never went to a CF Camp, sorry to rub it in, but it really was great. =-) Jarod22 with CF
 

anonymous

New member
<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Anonymous</b></i>Steve Ratajack here, 16 years old. I went for 2 years when i was 12-13, at Camp Salem in Ohio. I loved it there, we did alot of fun activites. Im not sure if they do it still or not because after my 2nd year, i got cross-infected with an advanced Pseudemonia, and i had to stop going. We had a swimming pool, a big lake, tennis courts, basketball courts, dance pavilion, bb-gun range, and an archery range.<hr></blockquote>Hey, I went to the camp in Salem Ohio too when I was 12-13 I loved and wish they would still have it!!
 

anonymous

New member
I made some great friends at cf camp. Its been over ten years since camp ended, and I am still in contact with many of them. I went to Camp Sweeney in gainseville, tx.rain
 

anonymous

New member
<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Anonymous</b></i>I made some great friends at cf camp. Its been over ten years since camp ended, and I am still in contact with many of them. I went to Camp Sweeney in gainseville, tx.rain<hr></blockquote>rain 25 cf/lung transplant
 

EmilysMom

New member
Emily also forgets the camp she went to a couple years before CF camp, where they promised to take really good care of her and her special needs and when we went to pick her up a week later, she had lost almost 11 pounds because she wasn't allowed to eat her snacks. The counselors didn't understand her need to eat almost constantly and didn't think it was fair to the other kids for her to eat snacks when they couldn't. Needles to say, she never went back to that camp either.
 

anonymous

New member
I DON'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THEM,BUT I WENT TO A FEW,CAMP RAVENSWOOD???CAMP BENSON???MY NAME IS CHRIS BARTUCCI,MOST OF THE PEOPLE I WENT W/HAVE PASSED AWAY!!!!!!
 

anonymous

New member
hey jarrod, i went to the cf camp in st.pete fl for 2 years. i really liked it. it made me feel good to know that there were other people out there like me. you can email me anytime if you want to talk. da_nern@yahoo.comsandy
 

anonymous

New member
Hi Sandy, my name is Amanda. I live in the Tampa area and was just wondering if you still live in the area. I don't have CF but my boyfriend does. If you are sill in the area I would like to hear from you, ASander6@tampabay.rr.com. Just write CF in the title. Thanks
 

beemerfan66

New member
Jeremy here 22 cfer on the list for a transplant i went to cf camp in the chicago area "Camp David" i loved it i only went for two years
 

anonymous

New member
Hi Charlie, I am a student at HCC. I am 24 and I live in Brandon. If you ever want to chat just e-mail me ASander6@tampabay.rr.com
 

anonymous

New member
I went to Camp Onkoi Benek in Battle Creek, MI. It was a lot of fun and I made a lot of friends, some of which have passed away. There was this bonfire the last night we were there and everybody would always get really upset because we were supposed to remember friends we had lost...me being in the young group didn't understand this and we would act crazy and try to get people to laugh. It kinda worked but now I understand what was going on. I also wet my pants one year too...wow a lot of good memories. The staff was great and I still see some of them today.Emily 22 pwcf from Detroit, MI
 
I

IG

Guest
Wow, how weird, I went to Camp Onkoi Benek too. I went 95' 96' & 97' I believe. It's been so long I don't really remember though. I just recently had to throw out my old camp shirt because it had too many holes in it... That was a great camp. I'm not sure when it shut down they had an outbreak of MSRA, and had to close for a few years. Then we moved down to texas and I never got to go again. Those were some great times. I still have tons of pictures from then!
 

anonymous

New member
I really value my experiences at CF camp. Obviously there are some really good reasons for there to not be CF camp any more. But this was my outlet! I loved the chance to go out and just be a kid with all the other kids! I never got to go on the Boy Scout trips and fun camping trips with friends when I was young because I had CF. So CF camp was definitely a good time in my life.I don't remember quite were camp was.....Some where in Ohio.....kids from Children's Medical Center in Dayton Ohio attendedLet me know if you did too!Jake Jones21 CFyacobius@yahoo.com
 

warchm

New member
jeff here 20/m w/cf i went to cf camp in 1992 somewhere in ohio if anybody else was there in 92 i would really like to hear from you my email is condorman1983@yahoo.com
 
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