For children who have cancer, the typical summer camp experience may have seemed out of the question – until now. Children’s Cancer Research Fund has opened registration for Camp Norden, a new summer camp specifically for children and teens ages 8-17 who have or have had childhood cancer. Camp Norden will take place August 4-7 on the Camp Knutson campgrounds in Crosslake, Minnesota.
Camp Norden is fully equipped with medical facilities and trained staff to ensure that kids fighting cancer can have a safe, fun summer camp experience. Because of the medical expertise available at Camp Norden, kids can participate in activities that would normally not be possible for them, including horseback riding, tubing, waterskiing and more.
“With the right resources, which we will have, all of these barriers can be eliminated or addressed in such a way that the risks become minimal to none,” said Dr. Karim #, Camp Norden’s Medical Director and pediatric hematologist/oncologist at the University of Minnesota.
Camp Norden is fully funded by Children’s Cancer Research Fund donors, meaning it is free to families who want to send their child to camp. For families facing childhood cancer, treatment can be isolating – kids rarely meet peers who are also undergoing cancer treatment outside the hospital. Camp Norden will allow kids who have or have had childhood cancer a place to connect with peers who understand what they are going through and foster lifelong friendships between campers.
“These kids need this,” said Mindy Dykes, Community Outreach Coordinator and parent of a childhood cancer survivor. “They need that peer support, they need to be in an environment with other kids who get it.”
This article was shared with Prittle Prattle News as a Press Release by PRNewswire.
