What We Do

“I’ve been going to camp since 2016. Every year I cry a lot when I have to leave because I don’t want it to end. I’ve gotten to meet friends who also have kidney issues going on. And they take meds and get their blood pressure taken and their blood drawn. It makes me feel a bit more normal, because it’s normal for them too. It’s nice to have people in your life who get it, who go thought the same stuff you do. This past summer was the last year I was eligible to attend. So now I have to take a gap year, but then after I’m going back as a counselor.”

“We have a teenage boy we see in our clinic who has been attending Camp Hope (for HIV positive patients) since he was a young boy. When he comes to his appointments, he tends to be on the more reserved and quiet side, at times saying very little. At camp, it is a different story. Each summer, we get the opportunity to see a whole other side of him. He is energetic, engages in activities, and bonds with his fellow campers and counselors. We, as staff, had the pleasure of watching him try new things, make friends, create memories, and have the opportunity to just be a kid and have fun. Camp Hope gives him the chance to come out of his shell and be true, confident, and the authentic version of himself, which is the greatest gift camp can provide to a child.”