Monday, August 18, 2014
Good morning,
I know I am in the middle of the commencement speech for the University of Texas 2014 graduation by Naval Adm. William H. McRaven, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, but just having returned from camp, I wanted to share my experience with you and will pick up where we left off next week.
As most of you know, I live daily with Crohn’s Disease and each August I take a week off and volunteer my time as a counselor at a camp for kids with Crohn’s and/or Colitis, put on by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCFA) called Camp Oasis. This is by far the most important and humbling thing I do to give back of my time all year. The kids range from age 7 to 17 and the majority of the counselors live with the disease as well. The purpose of the camp is to bring all the kids together to show them they are not alone, that they can go to a place where other kids go through the same thing they do, and when they are home, at school or at church and they feel like they are the only ones suffering from this incurable disease, this is the one place they can come to where others understand, they “get it”.
They share stories, fears, dreams and nightmares and everyone knows what they are talking about, because we have all been there. They talk about medicine they have been on, or medicine they are about to go on, they discuss surgeries and hospital stays and get tips and information from kids who have been through it and the experiences they gained from it. The medication you take for this disease and the surgeries you go through can stunt your growth, or can puff you up to look like a chipmunk. It may require you to wear a colostomy bag or a feeding tube, but when you are at camp it doesn’t matter. In this place, you are not different, you are not weird and you are not isolated, you are safe, you are accepted. So we have a normal week and we do normal things and we all get through it, together.
Each year I am amazed at the courage and the bravery of these kids. They are so very accepting of each other, never judging, never intimidated, only understanding and encouraging. New campers come every Sunday a little nervous and weary of what to expect and leave at the end of the week with hugs and tears of a promise to see their new found friends the following year. The returning campers ALWAYS get off the bus stating it was the one thing they had looked forward to all summer long.
They will all start school within the following week and my hope is they will carry that courage and bravery with them. I go to camp every year with hopes that I will touch one child and allow them to see that you can control this disease and you don’t have to let this disease control you, and without fail, I come home having had every single one of those kids touch me.
I have a knot in my throat as I write this today. It is a gift for me to be able to give back to those kids, and I am blessed that I can. Think about that……find something you love, and share it. You will get back so much more than you give, and it will change your life, I guarantee it!