Camp Trillium

We had the pleasure of spending the last week with dozens of other families impacted by childhood cancer at Camp Trillium's Rainbow Lake.

We were very lucky to have two 'special friends' who spent the week with us and helped with the children during the activities. The camp was also staffed with nurses who were on-hand at all times.

 

The whole week was very well planned, with age appropriate activities, group activities, and free time to explore various activities. Luis was able to try all sorts of new things: fishing, canoeing, sailing, archery. He even got to sleep on the top bunk bed, and in a tent one night. The camp also had a pool, a splash pad, and a jungle gym that the kids loved. Luis met lots of other children and played with whoever he met at the park.

For the parents, they had a special friend babysit the cabins after the kids' bedtime so the parents could gather in the parents' lounge for activities. It was silly and fun, like camp for grown ups. Silly games like charades, headbands, battle of the sexes trivia and activities.  The most exciting part for me is that the parents got to do the high ropes. I suited up in a harness, climbed up a 30 foot 'telephone pole' and climbed across a tight wire with two wobbly rope railings for balance. I scaled it like a seasoned circus freak. Another course that I tried was also 30' high. A Windsor cancer mom and I scaled across two parallel tight wires while leaning into each others' palms for support. It was scary as hell, but we made it about 3/4 across the wires (the furthest of the 4 pairs that tried the course that day). I really only got that far because she was inspiring me to move on because of all the other crazy things we have survived. Her daughter had the same cancer as Luis and just completed treatment within the last year, yay!

There was so much energy at camp. Like you would expect, there were lots of songs, chants, and clapping during meals and throughout the day. Lots of silly dress-up costumes and skits. There was even a talent show on the last night, although Luis didn't want to participate. It was a jam-packed week and we can't wait to go back.

It was also a little emotional. Talking with other parents about our journey reminds me of how much Luis has gone through and how much I have endured as a parent. It's something that we got through only because we had to. There were so many kids, some who were on treatment, some off-treatment, some who were in worse condition than Luis. For the children who got off treatment within the last year, a loud "Happy Happy No More Chemo" song was sung to each child, complete with loud clapping, a large banner, a visit from the Camp Trillium Bear and a personal No More Chemo cake. I was happy for those families, but it struck a nerve in me as we wait for our turn to get the cake. Other parents told me stories about spreading tumours that were difficult to control, or children who are off-treatment but still have tumours that are being monitored. I feel fortunate that Luis' treatment has progressed so well, that the one massive tumour that we found a year ago was gone within a week, never to return.  Amen.

--Mommy