Patients and Survivors Archives

A Very Special Love Story

Sarah Rostock Who doesn’t love a good love story? From The Notebook to Romeo and Juliet everyone has their favorite! This may sound the cheesiest of cheesy, but my favorite love story is mine! Me and my husband’s love story began with Special Love’s camps for children with cancer. Let’s go back to August of 2004, I was in the thick of maintenance chemotherapy for leukemia and stepping on to a charter bus to go to camp for a week. Not just any camp, I was on my way to Camp Fantastic, a week-long camp for kids with cancer! I [...]

Kim Jappell2019-02-12T15:16:33-05:00Blog, Camp Fantastic, Camps, Counselor, Patients and Survivors, Young Adults|0 Comments

Ryan’s Blog About Camp Fantastic

Ryan pictured center with the tennis class at Camp Fantastic When I was asked to write a blog for Special Love and what the transition was like from Camper to counselor I had to put a lot of thought and time before I could start writing it. Do not get me wrong but being a camper was a blast. When you're a camper you have much more freedom as a person. The year off from the transition from camper to counselor was one of the hardest things because I would be missing out on all the fun at camp fantastic. [...]

Elizabeth Lewis2014-09-22T11:02:27-04:00Blog, Patients and Survivors, Young Adults|0 Comments

Julia’s Summer: Camp Fantastic

The following is excerpted an essay written by our very own Julia Jones (below left) for World Harvest Outreach. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did: For one week every summer I get to go to camp. Camp is my happy place. This camp is called Camp Fantastic. In 1983 Tom and Sheila Baker lost their daughter Julie to childhood cancer, and inspired by their daughter and other children they met who were battling cancer they started Specialove. Tom and Sheila wanted to provide a place for kids to reclaim childhood and for families to get together [...]

Elizabeth Lewis2014-09-16T09:17:37-04:00Blog, Patients and Survivors, Young Adults|0 Comments

Camp Fantastic Traditional Tree Planting Ceremony

On the Monday night of camp for more than ten years now, it’s been a camp tradition to plant a tree on the grounds of the Northern Virginia 4-H Education Center (the sight of Camp Fantastic since its inception in 1983), to remember and honor the hundreds of campers who have been served by Special Love over the past 32 years. […]

Elizabeth Lewis2014-08-19T16:04:29-04:00Blog, Featured, Patients and Survivors|0 Comments

Superformula

There's a pediatric oncology unit in Brazil that's trying out a fairly clever idea. They're using comic books and superheroes to explain chemotherapy to children. Kids are given their drugs in super-hero branded IV containers and given comics and animated cartoons which depict heroes like Batman, Superman, and the Green Lantern getting similar "superformulas" to help them regain their powers.

Elizabeth Lewis2013-07-10T15:35:48-04:00Blog, Featured, Patients and Survivors|0 Comments