Nicole Graham first realized the positive impact Summerfest brings to children living with seizure disorders when she picked up her daughter, Alexa, from a week-long stay at Camp Couchiching five years ago.
When Alexa was met by her family, who had driven nearly seven hours to the Orillia-area camp from their Timmins home, the then-five-year-old’s response surprised her mother, who admits she was “nervous” about being separated from her daughter the entire week.
“She looked at us and said, ‘How come you guys are here to pick me up? Everybody else here is staying two weeks — how come I can’t stay two weeks?’ ”
Alexa, now 10, is currently at Summerfest, having attended the camp each year since her first visit in 2008. Nicole says Summerfest provides Alexa with an opportunity to meet new friends from across Ontario while having a good time in a fun atmosphere.
For Alexa, Summerfest is enriching and it’s something she looks forward to, her mother says.
“She wants to go back every year,” Nicole says, adding her daughter is outgoing and the camp is a good fit for her personality. “Alexa is very friendly and very determined.”
Summerfest also gives Alexa increased independence, says Nicole. As the mother of a child with epilepsy, Nicole says she often supervises Alexa in many of her daily activities. However, when she’s at Summerfest, she does those activities on her own — and wants to continue doing so when she returns home.
“There’s a lot of personal development that happens at Camp Cooch,” says Nicole.
Summerfest is offering four, two-week sessions from June 30 to Aug. 31 this year. A one-week camp option is offered to first-time campers or children who have complex-care needs.
Summerfest was founded in 1994 by Anita Allen, a neurology clinic nurse at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). The camp enables children aged six to 15, who are living with seizure disorders, to attend camp with other children. Camp Couchiching provides a setting where children can forget about their epilepsy.
Summerfest also provides respite to parents and gives them a chance to spend time with each other or with their other children. Since the camp has experienced counsellors and offers on-site nursing professionals who are well-versed in working with people who have seizure disorders, parents enjoy peace of mind knowing their children are safe and in good hands.
“Epilepsy Ontario is awesome in helping supply nurses and in training the staff to make sure they know how to deal with seizures, so when Alexa goes there she has great summers,” says Nicole.
If you would like to donate to the Summerfest camp program, please click here.
Writer: Deron Hamel
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