The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
We have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. It was finally here. The kids were psyched…we were going to “camp”. We’ve never been to “camp”. And we’ve definitely never been to Family Cancer Weekend at camp. Yancy and I had no idea what to expect.
Friday evening we were greeted with smiles in the rain…assigned to our rooms in a lovely lodge. We have two rooms, each with two bunk beds, sharing a bathroom. The kids love it. We immediately meet Paul, our “Family Pal”, who will be with us for the entire weekend. He gives us a tour of the entire camp Friday evening, in the drizzle. We see so much…the camp resembles a small western town…you feel as though you’re on a movie set. We see a tree house, art studio, wood shop, gym, theatre & costume rooms, boat house, fishing dock, infirmary (which we promise to each other we will not go to)…and we finish the tour with a beautiful dining hall, where we gather for a casual dinner, game of bingo (Ethan’s favorite!…especially when everyone wins!), and group welcoming activities. We end up after dinner in the theatre, singing songs. By 8:30 pm we’re headed back to the lodge for a good night sleep.
There’s about 20 families here this weekend, from MA, CT, NY and NJ mostly. I would say that only two or three of the children appear as though they are on “active” treatment for cancer. It appears as though this is any family weekend at any camp. However, what we’re about to find out though, it that this camp is different…every staff member here, every volunteer here finds it to be a privlege…they feel lucky to be at this camp, with these kids. And every parent can feel that, for the entire weekend.
Our “Family Pal”, Paul, has volunteered at this camp with his wife for years. They come for five or six weekends throughout the year, and two weeks in the summer. We didn’t know what to think at first, when he said he’d be with us all weekend…from before breakfast, to night time. He was amazing though. First off, how wonderful to finally be back to one-on-one with the kids…three kids, three adults…perfect. And to top it off, Em, Ethan and El love him. He’s part of the family from the get go. He gives piggy-back rides upon request, he wrestles, he accommodates our every need and want. He doesn’t say no. That’s what this camp is about…accommodating…never saying no. Give these kids what they want, because they deserve it.
Breakfast isn’t until 8:30 a.m., so Paul meets us at 7:30 a.m.. Ethan wants to head to the costume room, so that’s what we do. We try on hundreds of costumes for the first hour of our day. The kids are in heaven! Then on to breakfast. Then on to fishing. Em and Eliot catch fish…big bass fish…and pickerel. People are catching large bass out of this pond left and right. Then we’re off to the 36 foot high climbing tower, something Emma really wanted to do. And while the tower is supposed to be for 8 year olds and up this weekend, we ask if Ethan can do it (he was really looking forward to it). Of course, they accommodate him. If he wants to do it, he gets to do it. They harness up, helmet up. Emma climbs…Ethan climbs. Ethan then zip-lines down…36 feet in the air, about 300-400 feet long. He’s down, and he wants to move on to the next activity…painting with Kevin (he’s hospital buddy he painted with) in the art studio. Paul, our Family Pal, takes Ethan to paint. Meanwhile, Em’s still at the top of the tower socializing with others up there. Eliot’s crying, wanting to climb the tower. A camp-worker asks why he’s crying, finds out he wants to climb, and of course…accommodates Eliot. Our fearful Eliot wants to climb, because Ethan and Emma did. Eliot climbs up…okay not really. Eliot is essentially hoisted up the entire way. Once at the top, Eliot tells them he wants to zip-line down. Here comes Eliot (he’s still in his costume from this morning)…overcoming his deepest fears, just to be like his brother. And then Emma zips down. And if that’s not enough, Daddy decides to climb and zip down too. Off to lunch. After lunch we have only a 30 minute “rest” break, before afternoon activities start. Ethan’s insect/spider bite on his toe that we discovered at 3 a.m. seem to be swelling and very bothersome. Mommy and Ethan use the 30 minute “rest” to head to the infirmary. Thankfully, we’re headed there only for some anti-itch ointment.
Afternoon…we do archery, more fishing, boating around the pond, wood shop, art studio, basketball in the gym. The big event this evening is the “Talent Show” in the theatre. We’ve placed our name on the list of participants, just in case the kids want to go on stage. They say they do. Emma practices magic tricks that Paul taught her throughout the day. Ethan says he’s going to tell jokes. Emma and Ethan head to the costume room. They pick out what they want to wear while on stage. The show begins. I’ve never been moved by a talent show before. Even before my kids got up there, I have tears welling up in my eyes. Every child that walks up on that stage…you know they have a story…you know they have gone through something big…whether they’re a sibling, or a hero…they’re amazing. And every child that walks up on that stage feels completely safe, completely comfortable, completely loved…because that’s what this camp is all about. And that’s why Emma and Ethan did something they normally wouldn’t do…went up on stage, without a second thought about it. Emma did her magic tricks, accompanied by Paul. Ethan told his jokes, loud, perfectly, flawlessly, accompanied by Daddy. And then…Eliot’s lip starts to quiver, he holds back his tears. He wants to go up and tell a joke too. Within minutes, they fit Eliot into the “line-up”, Ethan lends Eliot his “costume”, and he’s up there with Daddy telling his joke, “What stays hot in the fridge?…HOT SAUCE”. You couldn’t tell that Eliot wanted to go up; he didn’t look like he enjoyed it. But, he wanted to do it, because Em and Ethan did. Today, two days after his performance, he says to me, “Mommy, are you happy I went on stage and told my joke?” Did he do it to make us proud?
Anyhow, at the end of the evening, we’re touched…love is in the air. This place makes everyone feel amazingly special. I’ve never seen a show like this. I would pay money to see this show again. The dances, the singing, the jokes, the piano playing, the magic shows…and the magic. The whole show was magic…and…we’re WIPED OUT! We head back to the lodge for story time in front of the fire. All the little kids (about 8 and under) gather in the pajamas, all drinking their Paul Newman lemonade juice boxes. Ethan, Emma and Eliot, Daddy and Mommy are cuddled on one of the many couches around the fire. Ethan falls asleep within 10 minutes, Emma’s close behind. Then we head to bed. A long, wonderful day behind us.
Sunday morning, we head to breakfast to meet Paul. Each table in the dining room is decorated for Mother’s Day. Each “family pal” takes their family’s kids away, and they come back with gifts for Mom…flowers, coffee mugs, Crabtree & Evelyn goodies. Kevin, Ethan’s painting buddy, leads everyone in such inspirational songs, filled with such love. It’s very touching…my eyes once again filling with tears. I look around the room, taking it all in. Realizing all the stories that everyone in this room has. Thinking about how far we’ve come since last Mother’s Day, which we didn’t recognize at all…it wasn’t about Mother’s at that time…it was about surviving.
We spend the rest of the day in the woodshop doing projects. We grab a lunch-to-go, and the kids wrestle with Paul on the grass outside. We hug him goodbye, and thank him for an amazing weekend. The weekend surpassed our expectations. Paul surpassed our expectations. The camp surpassed our expectations.
Pics can be found @ www.lentfamily.org
