What Special Days Means to Me PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 18 December 2007 00:19
by Nikki Lemieux-Smith, Former Camper and Executive Director Emeritus, Special Days Camps

Twenty-five years ago, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. I was afraid, felt very lonely, and thought that absolutely no one else could feel what I was going through. At the time, Dr. George Royer was my pediatric oncologist, and my father, Bob Lemieux, was the head of the Parent of Children with Cancer group for the Greater Kalamazoo area. The two worked together to bring to fruition an idea the Dr. Royer had for a long time: a Camp for Children with Cancer. Special Days was born!

I went to Special Days that first year and have been back every year since. Special Days, as a camper, gave me the opportunity to see that other kids were experiencing the same fears and uncertainties that I was, but they weren't going to let it get them down. NO WAY! Children have a great outlook on life: they don't worry about what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day, they focus on today. That's exactly what happened at camp.
The other wonderful thing was that no one cared if you didn't have any hair or had lost a limb, everyone was the same. It's so important to know that your friends love and care about you because of who you are, not what you look like.

The friendships I have made at Special Days are ones that have lasted a lifetime. Although you may only see someone once a year, it's as if no time has passed at all. I have also lost a few friends over the years, but rather than think of them with sorrow, I remember the gift of their lives and the memories we shared together.

As a counselor, I tried to give back all that was given to me. Now, as a staff member, I want to make camp the best is can be and make camp as wonderful for the kids as it was for me. A lot of people tell me that it must be so depressing to work with children with cancer. On the contrary, it is the most rewarding and fulfilling experience you can ever have and a true testimony to the joy of living.