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| Photo courtesy of galadarling.com |
Children play pretend, dressing
up in their mom’s red high heels and their dad’s striped ties.
They
pump their little legs on the swing set, pushing so hard to touch the clouds.
Children
love unconditionally, sharing a toy or giving a hug to a friend.
They
show off their latest arts and crafts masterpiece, beaming with pride and joy
on a job well done.
They
have a youthfulness about them you cannot seem to exude at any other age no
matter how hard you try.
Now,
imagine these children with cancer.
This
year,
approximately 12,060 children ages 0 to 14 will be diagnosed with some form
of cancer. If accurate, 1,005 children will be diagnosed each month, 231
children each week and 33 each day.
They
cannot attend preschool or interact with others because chemotherapy decreases
their white blood cell counts, making them susceptible to infection and illness
from germs.
A
child enduring cancer deserves to experience childhood just as much as every
other child.
And
now, he or she can.
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| Photo courtesy of themorgancenter.org |
The Morgan Center provides
children ages 2 ½ to 5 undergoing cancer treatment a preschool environment with
limited exposure to germs.
Founded
by Rod and Nancy Zuch, the free Hicksville, N.Y. preschool has opened its doors
to 150 children with cancer since September 2003.
After
doctors diagnosed the
Zuches’ daughter, Morgan, with cancer at the age of 2, they began to see how
important playing, sharing, laughing and learning are to a child. (Morgan has
been cancer free since age 13)
The
center runs three days a week during the school year with 11 teachers on site. Activities such as
playing with puzzles, blocks and play dough; singing the ABCs, the “Days of the
Week” and “Months of the Year” songs; taking part in show in tell on Fridays;
and going on special field trips happen like they would anywhere else.
Without
a place like The Morgan Center, these children might not have had the
opportunity to dance, sing, color and interact with one another – never
experiencing childhood or growing in their youthfulness.
The
center does close its doors in the summer, but other centers and camps run all
year long.
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| Photo courtesy of teamholeinthewall.org |
The Double H Ranch gives kids ages 6 to
16, who live with life-threatening illnesses, the chance to step out of the
hospital and into a world of no limitations.
Located
in Lake Luzerne, N.Y. the non-profit camp, founded by Charles Wood and
Paul Newman in 1993, has given more than 17,000 children a place where they can
canoe, fish, write, act, make pottery and create hands-on science projects.
Eight
summer residential camp
sessions run for six days each. The kids can swim, play adaptive sports, ride
horses, climb the rock wall, make arts and crafts and work on nature projects.
The
320-acre camp formally known as the Hidden Valley Ranch doesn’t just run during
the summer, though.
Over 800
children will visit Double H during its twelve weekend adaptive winter sports program.
The single-day sessions open to both children and parents give one-on-one
skiing, snowboarding or snowshoeing lessons on two different trails.
I admire the
work Wood, Newman and the Zuch family have done to give children a chance to have
a memorable childhood. If you’re inspired by their work like I am, both The Morgan Center and
the Double H Ranch have
opportunities to keep these places thriving. And if you don’t live near either,
other adaptive camps and center can be located. Giving to an organization
that’s mission is to enrich and create memories has to be rewarding beyond
belief.
Childhood. It
should be memorable. It should be a time in life each child gets the
opportunity to enjoy. I hope more camps and preschools open like the Double H
Ranch and The Morgan Center – each child needs memories and blissful moments.
If not during their childhood, when?
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