News
West Coast Doctor Wouldn’t Miss Volunteering
Written by Christopher Barnett, MD, MPH, University of California San Francisco, Special Love Volunteer Last night was the Camp Fantastic talent show. About halfway through, a camper came onto stage to perform “holding breath.” He took a big breath in and held it...
Journey to the Final Year as a Camper
Written by Angela Bickmann, 2013 Camp Fantastic Camper Camp Fantastic 2013, my last year at camp…as a CAMPER!!! There is no doubt or question in my mind whether or not I’ll come back as a counselor, even though I’ll be moving across the country. I’ve been coming here...
First Time Camper….. and Camper Parents
Written by Tammy and Craig Sankner, first time camp parents (8-11-13) So today we dropped off Tara for her first time at Camp Fantastic. There were many emotions that were felt today during the drop off from being overly excited to tears being shed by both Tara and...
Camp Mom Volunteer
Written by Gina Parcells, Camp Mom & first time Camp Fantastic Volunteer All I really wanted was for my kid to be happy. I just wanted her to BE A KID and think of herself as more than cancer. She was barely seven years old when I sent her to camp that...
Camper Arrival – Sunday, August 11, 2013
Written by Mindy McManus, Special Love Volunteer This is my 7th year at Camp Fantastic. This afternoon, 106 children with cancer between the ages of 7 and 17 rode on charter busses up Harmony Hollow – escorted by police and dozens of Harley Davidson...
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.
Jordan Trufio
West Springfield High School student Jordan Trufio’s fight with cancer ended today. Fellow student Sean Ngo contributed these thoughts on his passing.
Get Out of the Way
If I’ve learned one thing from the time I’ve spent at Special Love and Camp Fantastic, it’s that sometimes you just have to know when to get out of the way. So it shouldn’t be any surprise that I’ve let wiser heads (and younger hearts) prevail when it came to posting on Special Love’s blog, That said, it’s now a year and a half later and the stars have aligned to where I feel compelled to finally make an appearance blog-wise. Today is “Giving Tuesday” and I feel the need to give back to an organization that has given me so much.
Show your Camp Spirit!
As we head off to our week-long BRASS Camp and Camp Fantastic, you can join us! By "showing your camp spirit," you'll attend camp virtually from the comfort of home (no sunburn or bug bites for you!) At the same time, you'll send a child with cancer in your place. ...
Camp Family
One of camp’s most bittersweet moments is the time when we have to say goodbye to a camper who’s passed out of eligability. In order to make room for new campers facing the challenges and hardship of a new diagnosis we must turn away old friends who’ve finished their treatment and gone three years without relapse or recurrance. We hate to see them leave but are glad to know that they can go. Eligable to attend or not, however, they will aways be part of our camp family.