Camp Offers Summertime Fun for Childhood Cancer Survivors

April 03, 2017: Left: Mother Melanie Kabia is with Right: Seven-year-old Noah Kabia who was the first camper enrolled at Horizon Day Camp last year. Photo by: Daniel Kucin Jr./JMORE

Noah Kabia tried to save face for as long as he could. Just six months after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the 7-year-old Windsor Mill resident sat in the backseat of his mother’s car on a Wednesday morning last June with one goal in mind — getting to camp.

Looking back at him in the rear-view mirror, Melanie Kabia knew something wasn’t right. She asked twice if he needed to vomit. Twice, Noah responded, “No, Mommy, I’m fine.”

Sure enough, just as the Kabias pulled into the camp driveway, Noah threw up. After already missing the first two days of camp because he wasn’t feeling up to it, Noah feared the worst. “He’s crying, ‘Please Mommy, don’t say I have to go home,’” Melanie Kabia recalls.

After countless trips to the hospital and being isolated from friends and fun activities, Noah itched for the one thing almost all children with cancer desire — a chance to escape and just be a kid again.

Last year, Horizon Day Camp offered that opportunity to Noah and dozens of other childhood cancer survivors as the only day camp of its kind in the region. At zero cost to families, Horizon – based at Maryvale Preparatory School in Lutherville — couples the classic summer camp experience with the highest standards of medical care. Transportation, meals and activities are covered by the camp through its nonprofit designation and community donations.

After hosting 84 campers during its inaugural summer last year, organizers hope to nearly double that number in 2017. The camp is open to kids 3½ to 16 who are in active treatment or are up to five years removed from treatment. Campers’ siblings who fit into the age range are also welcome to join in on the action. Parents can enroll their kids for the entire summer or just one day, and everything in between.

“It’s super important we do everything we possibly can to be as accommodating and flexible as possible,” says Will Eastman, Horizon’s executive director. “Families are getting told no all the time. Everything we do is with the expressed intent of changing that no to a yes.”

A Natural Fit

Horizon was founded in Baltimore under the umbrella of the Sunrise Day Camp Association, the parent organization for six other camps of its kind (three in New York and three in Israel, along with the newest venture here). The vision was spearheaded by Arnie Preminger, former president and CEO of the Friedberg Jewish Community Center in Long Beach, N.Y., which serves as home to the original Horizon camp.

Founded on and inspired by Jewish values, all of the camps are available to childhood cancer survivors from all communities, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or economic background.

With its proximity of a number of children’s hospitals in the region, Baltimore was a natural fit for the camp’s mission. “The way this organization has grown is that different communities have stepped up and said, ‘We want this. We’re going to make this happen,’ ” Eastman says

Area medical centers such as Johns Hopkins, Sinai, University of Maryland and Children’s National — all of which serve children who attended camp last summer—have partnered with Horizon. Those institutions generated word-of-mouth buzz that led to a majority of Horizon’s enrollment in year one.

Providing a medically safe environment is the foundation for everything at Horizon. The camp has a pediatric oncologist on call at all times, as well as two staff nurses who operate out of a fully stocked wellness center. Treatment is not provided onsite, and generally speaking, the wellness element is somewhat subtle and made to be as minimally invasive as possible.

“We want them to show up and forget about treatment for a little while,” Eastman says.

For instance, all of the balls used for sports at Horizon are soft, due to kids with cancer bruising more easily. All staff wear hats or bandanas so no camper feels self-conscious about being hairless. Many kids with chemotherapy ports are prevented from swimming, so the camp provides misting tents and other water activities. And every corner of the camp is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

“The idea that [Noah] could go to camp and be with other kids and have his medical needs met was just super-exciting,” says Melanie Kabia, adding that she filled out the registration paperwork “like a mad woman.”  

At Horizon, you’ll find such classic summertime activities as swimming, arts and crafts, sports, lunch, and morning and afternoon “round-ups.” But Eastman emphasizes that the camp mentality is that every day is special.

“We know a kid may come for just one day,” he says. “If that’s the one day they come, we want it to be the best day of camp.”

When learning of Horizon’s mission, many outside organizations and individuals offer their services to Horizon. Visitors have included the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, former Ravens center Jeremy Zuttah, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Loyola University basketball program. (Horizon will host a family night at the Maryland Zoo on Apr. 29 at which registered campers can explore the zoo on a private tour with their families.)

The core day of camp lasts from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but to further accommodate parents and families, Horizon’s pre- and post-camp extends from 7:30 in the morning to 6:30 in the evening. Horizon serves campers as far north as Harford County and as far south as Washington, D.C.

Melanie Kabia recalls the instant changes she saw in Noah after just the first week at Horizon.

“Camp gave Noah that opportunity to escape the serious reality of his condition and be able to be himself as much as he could be,” she says. “He’s already excited [to return this year]. He’s so over school and ready to be back at camp. Camp can’t some soon enough.”

Hitting The Road

To reach as many children as possible, the camp recently launched Horizon on Wheels, which brings enjoyable activities into hospital settings and throughout the community. “Our real role is to help these children be kids year-round,” Eastman says.

Horizon staff will spend time with cancer survivors while they are awaiting treatment, bringing along such activities as a mobile tie-dye truck, games, art projects and music. There are also a slew of community events. For example, earlier this year, Loyola University basketball invited Horizon’s campers to take the court and shoot hoops during halftime of a game.

Andrew Oberle, 6, often spends long outpatient clinic days at Sinai Hospital. His mother, Caroline, says that the visits from Horizon not only give her son and other young patients something to look forward to, but provide welcome relief for parents.

“Having camp staff come to play and interact with them sort of brings the magic of camp into the hospital, which is really where you need it most,” she says. “When you have those long days, and you’re running out of tricks up your sleeve for things to do, it’s nice to have that fresh energy.”

For information about Horizon, visit horizondaycamp.org or call 410-991-0460.

David Snyder is a Baltimore-based freelance writer.

Top Photos of Melanie and Noah Kabia by Daniel Kucin Jr. 

Bottom Photo of Andrew Oberle (right) with Horizon executive director Will Eastman provided by Caroline Oberle

 

 

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