In February 2001, Sam and Matthew’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. For five years he fought to live, then passed away when Sam was 10 and Matthew was 8. Their mother says, “Living with and losing a parent to cancer is something no child should ever have to experience.”
Three years later, the boys’ mother discovered Camp Kesem. She didn’t know much about the camp, but knew that the boys needed to be with other kids who “got” what they were going through.
At first Sam and Matthew were reluctant to join in. But within 30 minutes they were laughing and playing with the other kids—reveling in the energy that the counselors created. When they saw their mother still standing nearby, one of them asked “why are you still here?” She says she “did the little happy dance and got in my car.”
On the surface, Camp Kesem looks like any overnight summer camp – days filled with skits, songs, sports, and tie-dying t-shirts. But the camp, a national non-profit organization that provides free, week-long overnight camps for children of cancer patients, is anything but typical.
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