Camp, fun provided for cancer stricken children

Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer Center is taking its young patients out beyond the hospital walls for a fun-filled week of Camp Periwinkle from Aug. 1-7 at the barrier-free Camp For All site near Brenham, Texas.

“It really changes the children’s lives forever, because for this week they are not children with cancer, they are just children,” Medical Director of Camp Periwinkle Zoanne Dryer said.

The camp is primarily for children who are going through chemotherapy, but children who have finished their chemotherapy sessions are also welcome. Children are allowed to bring a sibling to accompany them.

The camp has been holding the summer program for 27 years and welcome both patients as well as counselors. There is a total of 180 campers between the ages of seven and 15 at Camp Periwinkle this year.

“It is a very motivating week for the staff and campers because people become very close to each other and the kids often form life long friends,” Dreyer said.

The children will enjoy a wide range of activities such as paint ball, dances, arts and crafts and a variety of sports, campfires and dirt biking.

The children will also partake in cooking activities. Local restaurants go out to the camp and provide cooking lessons and dinner for all the campers. Pappasito’s was at the camp last Saturday. Johnny Carrabba from Carrabba’s restaurant also comes and cooks for the kids.

Most of the faculty and staff at Camp Periwinkle are former cancer patients who attended the camp.

“One of the girls here as a counselor was my patient when she was younger,” Dreyer said. “I diagnosed her when she was two years old.”