Camp stories
Camp Boggy Creek is focused on creating unforgettable camp experiences.
Campers and staff are empowered to do things they never dreamed they could do. They are infused with a spirit of accomplishment at every turn and allowed to forget that “they have what they have.”
Read the true stories of the profound impact that Camp Boggy Creek has had on children, parents, and volunteers throughout the years.
A newfound confidence: Noelle’s story
When I first attended camp at 13 I was painfully shy & struggled to make friends with my peers due to insecurities from my medical condition. I left camp with a newfound confidence after meeting other kids with heart problems for the first time.
Camp lifted me up in a time of need. I attended until the age of 16 & preceded to attend the Leader in Training Program until I was 18, & now years later I get to come back as a counselor. Camp has been a pivotal part of my life, & I still talk to my cabin mates I attended camp with 9 years ago. I look back fondly at my moments at camp & think of how it truly changed my outlook on life thanks to the compassionate counselors & staff at Boggy Creek who lifted me up in a time of need.
Sabrina’s story.
Epilepsy family weekend.
We LOVE hearing stories from our camper parents and our campers. Pamela, Sabrina’s mom recently shared a story with us about Sabrina’s first visit to Camp Boggy Creek during an epilepsy family weekend. Thank you so much for sharing!
I had heard about Camp Boggy Creek before but pushed the thought out of my head. There was no way we were sending our daughter to a sleep away camp where she can have seizures without us there. Then a former student ran into me and shared his experience as a counselor. Then some time had passed and while attending a conference for children with the same condition as our daughter I spoke with Dr. Ian Miller.
He talked so fondly of camp and how equipped they are medically, just in case. He told me how he was the doctor there for the Epilepsy week and how amazing the counselors are and how the kids are so happy to be there. He invited me to at least look at the family weekend to get a feel for camp.
We signed up and we're accepted. My whole family LOVED the family weekend! We all felt so included. My son was 6 and having 2 family helpers assigned to us helped him feel special too! My husband and I really enjoyed talking with other parents during the parent gathering and were able to enjoy kid free crafts and conversations with other adults that have been through the same experiences and emotions as us. It was such an amazing time. She even performed on stage by herself. As we watched her perform I cried because it was such an overwhelming experience to see how accepting and encouraging everyone was. We felt so good that we agreed to sign up Sabrina for summer camp.
Sabrina was accepted and had the best time! She made friends and did so many activities on her own. When we picked her up she talked about all her experiences, the fun things she did and introduced us to her new friends, the counselors (even though we met them at drop off) and was talking about how much she loved camp!
We attended another family weekend together and the Best Party on Earth events since then. Every time we are there, I feel like it is our home away from home. The regular staff remember Sabrina and give us a warm welcome.
We even attended the virtual camps during COVID years. Camp Boggy Creek allows Sabrina to be herself in a safe, respected and loved environment. As a parent it warms my heart to know she is accepted there. We hope she gets to go back to camp this summer!
Strength and smiles.
Kayla’s story
“Without camp I feel I never would of had the strength to fight through when I was sick. Camp boggy gave me the hope I lost which inspired me so much that every year I would try my hardest to give others I met at camp some hope and make them smile.” - Kayla Witter, Previous Camper
My name is Kayla Witter. I had Leukemia from 2007-2010 and went to Camp Boggy Creek from 2008-2017. All the staff and everyone from Camp boggy and the American Cancer Center have a very special place in my heart. I went to the cancer week almost every year. I missed a year because I got sick after finishing treatment and didn't want to risk putting anyone else at risk, but was lucky enough to be invited back when I was 17 because I had missed a year and was devastated.
Without camp I feel I never would of had the strength to fight through when I was sick. Camp boggy gave me the hope I lost which inspired me so much that every year I would try my hardest to give others I met at camp some hope and make them smile. I love Camp Boggy Creek and everyone that is a part of it. I want to thank this organization by volunteering or doing whatever I can to help and I want to show my family the wonderful camp I was apart of. There was an older gentleman who was very wise that would come visit the camp who said he lived across from the camp and tell us stories every year to me and the other children and would always tell us "this isn't goodbye its just see you later" which will always stick with me. It gave me so much inspiration.
At the end of the week I would be crying my eyes out saying good bye to everyone because I didn't want to leave. Im 22 now and married with a beautiful little girl and I truly believe without this Camp and the people I met at Camp Boggy Creek I wouldn't be here today. Im so blessed to have been a part of Camp Boggy and I want to come back and help people and this beautiful place as much as possible to give back what was stolen from me from cancer which is happiness and hope. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Kayla Witter.
Vanessa’s story
My 8 year old daughter, Vanessa, and I attended Camp Boggy Creek for the Hurricane Ian weekend March 17-19, 2023. We had no idea what to expect. We experienced the best weekend of our lives! It was more than anything we could’ve asked for. We have been displaced since the hurricane and Vanessa experienced a lot of trauma. She started play therapy and her therapist recommended that we apply to go to Camp Boggy Creek. We were happy to have been accepted and thought it would be a fun time together.
We took full advantage of the entire weekend and did everything that was offered, which was a lot! My daughter experienced things she has never done before…archery, paddle boats, wood shop (her favorite), yoga, and therapy dogs, just to name a few. As a parent, I attended parent workshops and connected with other parents that were going through the same hardships. This was exactly what our mental health needed. My daughter has more confidence since attending Camp and even performed in the Camp talent show. We have both made new, life long friends! The Camp Boggy Creek message, to always choose kindness, will always stick with us and has inspired us to look for kindness in others. This Camp is so much more than a fun experience…it has made a lasting impression that we never dreamed was possible and are forever grateful for.
- Tracy, Victoria’s mom.
Kasey’s story
For parents, providing unconditional love with a sense of security can be a meticulous balancing act. Whether it’s a play date with a friend or a school trip to a museum, letting go can be very difficult. For the Risher family, attending Family Retreat programs at Camp Boggy Creek was not an easy decision at first, but it changed their lives and helped make the decision to let go and send daughter Kasey to summer camp a little easier.
In 2014, Kasey was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer – she was 6 years old. Her many treatments were done at Nemours Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital where her parents (Krista and Jeremy) had become very close to all her doctors and nurses. One of the night nurses, Linh Nguyen, encouraged the family to attend Camp Boggy Creek. Linh, a longtime volunteer and former summer staff, knew firsthand the wonderful benefits of the program and how it could help Kasey and her family.
At first, Krista was hesitant to apply. A self- described “Drone Mom” (because “Helicopters” do not get close enough), she wanted Kasey close. A year later after much research and testimonies from other camp families, Krista applied for their first Family Retreat and the Risher family has never looked back.
As a family, the Rishers enjoy many of the different activities, but their favorites are archery, swimming, and hands free spaghetti night – an event that is replicated at home every now and then! Krista and Jeremy participate in parent breakout sessions and admit the first time was not easy because they wanted “eyes on Kasey.” After attending a few years, they now see their role as more of a mentor and enjoy helping new families especially since so many had helped them.
Kasey is already planning to come back and volunteer as a Family Pal at Family Retreats. Of course, Krista and Jeremy might be with her so they can volunteer, too. Krista adds, "It wasn't like you just take someone’s word on something like this, you have to experience it yourself and it was truly everything everyone said it would be. Letting go is never easy, but letting go at Camp Boggy Creek provides hope and joy!”
Gabe’s story
“Camp will always be their home away from home where everyone
will always be safe, respected and loved."
Turning 16 years old is a celebration and a rite of passage for most children, but for those attending Camp Boggy Creek it is also a little sad as it may be their final year of summer camp and family retreats.
For Gabe, a camper diagnosed with hemophilia (and recently developed inhibitors), attending his final summer camp this past June was bittersweet. His mother, Alicia, shares, “Camp Boggy Creek reached him on levels that I couldn’t. For Gabe and our entire family, the memories will be forever.”
This fall, Gabe will be participating in the new Camper in Transition (CIT) program, a specialized program that serves former campers who are between 16 and 17 years old. The program provides support and resources that will help participants as they transition from camper to adult. For Gabe, a lover of learning, it’s a dream come true. He looks forward to meeting other CIT’s from different illness groups and learning from them while helping younger campers to experience the magic of Camp Boggy Creek.
Learning to be independent is a significant step for Gabe as he gets closer to graduating from High School. An important lesson for children with hemophilia to become independent is learning how to administer factor on their own. At Camp Boggy Creek, campers with hemophilia are invited to participate in infusion classes taught by specialty nurses and doctors. Gabe’s participation in the Camp’s infusion classes two years ago not only taught him life-saving skills, but also reaffirmed his desire to help others like him.
All of the programs at Camp Boggy Creek have helped Gabe and his family deal with the challenges of having a serious illness such as hemophilia. Alicia, Gabe’s mother, adds, “Camp really helped Gabe strengthen his resolve to do anything he wants because he doesn’t hear ‘no you can’t’ – he hears ‘yes you can!’ and that has made such a difference in his life. When you try to explain the experience to others, words fail.”
Boggy Creek’s campers have an expression “from the outside looking in, you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.” For Gabe and all of the children who have attended Camp Boggy Creek during the past 25 years, it’s a feeling of acceptance where children who are very sick discover they are not alone, where anything is possible. For those who are turning 16 years old or those who already have, this Camp will always be their home away from home where everyone will always be safe, respected and loved.
Delaney’s story
"Nursing requires a lot of teamwork so everything
I learned as an LIT at Camp was very helpful!"
After attending Camp Boggy Creek for several years at the rheumatic summer camp sessions and family retreat, Delaney Hutchinson applied for and was accepted into the Leader in Training (LIT) program and then the Advanced LIT the following year. The atmosphere was welcoming, the Camp mentors were enthusiastic and the lessons learned during the creative and fun workshops became the building blocks that helped Delaney make her transition from camper to college student. She shares, “There were so many nursing classes that I took that had elements of what I learned in the LIT program.
The workshops were very helpful and taught me how to identify skills and strengths in others and how to use that knowledge to work effectively as a team. Nursing requires a lot of team work so everything I learned as an LIT was very helpful!
Being accepted into the School of Nursing at Lee University was a big step in Delaney’s lifelong dream. She was very impressed with the overall program, but she also “loved the small, home-like environment where everyone knows each other.
She adds, “It’s just like Camp!” She talks about the “check offs” (skills) that students are required to complete and fondly recalls a special moment that reminded her of Camp. “The very first skill we had to do was demonstrate our hand washing procedure. Very important for sure and I don’t think I was ever more nervous! But, then I remembered all the fun I had at Camp with all the song reminders in every bathroom on proper hand washing. I definitely aced that one!”
Earlier this year, Delaney and her fellow nursing students also participated in a required “Disaster Response Training” class. A new element of the class included a 2-day specialized COVID-19 training. “I knew these were important lessons, but didn’t expected to be using them right away,” Delaney notes.
Delaney will begin her next journey in the Houston area where she will share her skills and knowledge and her unlimited compassion with every patient in her care. “I hope to learn everything I can while working as a Nurse and eventually I do want to work in Pediatrics,” she shares.