By Deron Hamel
Iris Amaya says her decision to send her son Jeremy to Summerfest Camp for the first time six years ago was largely to provide her with a sense of well-being.
Jeremy, who is living with epilepsy, was six at the time. Iris says she made the decision to send her son to the camp for two weeks because she wanted him to enjoy the same experiences any child Jeremy’s age can have.
She didn’t want his condition to ever hold him back in life.
“At that time, it was not so much for him but more for me,” Iris says. “I learned to let go and not over-shelter him.”
Jeremy has always enjoyed being outdoors and learned to love camping, his mother says. His parents did not want Jeremy to have to give up these things because of epilepsy, Iris says.
“Yes, he has this condition, yes he will adapt to whatever the situation is, but he should be able to enjoy everything that everybody else does,” she says. “He is enjoying the same things kids his age should be enjoying.”
Held near Orillia at Camp Couchiching (affectionately called “Camp Cooch”) every summer, Summerfest Camp enables children aged six to 15 who are living with seizure disorders to attend camp with other children. The camp has the resources to meet the needs of children living with epilepsy and provides a setting where they can enjoy a carefree camping experience.
At camp, Jeremy enjoys the outdoor experience, including swimming, sailing, canoeing and kayaking, Iris says, adding he has made lots of friends through his years attending Summerfest Camp.
Today, Iris has no worries when Jeremy, now 12, attends Summerfest Camp. He now attends with his two older siblings.
“They look forward to going every summer,” Iris says.
Iris credits Camp Couchiching for doing an excellent job communicating with the parents of the campers. The first year Jeremy attended, Iris says the camp contacted her every 24 hours to let her know how Jeremy was doing.
“By the second week, he was doing well enough that I told them they didn’t have to call me every day,” Iris says.
Summerfest Camp 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.
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