To someone who has never been there before, it might be shocking to hear young children say they feel fortunate to have cancer.
It wasn't so strange for Rachel Caira. Before she became a counsellor at the Canadian Cancer Society's Camp Goodtimes, she was one of those kids feeling lucky when she attended the camp as a cancer survivor. Supported by the society and its Cops for Cancer program, the free camp at Loon Lake near Maple Ridge allows children living with cancer to attend a one-week summer session with their siblings.
"At camp I hear kids all the time say, "I'm glad I had cancer so I can come to Camp Goodtimes, it's unreal," said Caira, who spoke of her camp experiences Wednesday at a symposium at UNBC.
"Cancer is a life-altering event and when you see a bald-headed kid it's awful, but I always hated the pity. It sucks and it's awful, but when you get things out of it like camp and the relationships you get a camp, it's life-changing. Kids with cancer are so resilient and it's important to remember they're still kids. They just want to be normal and play. "
Caira first attended Camp Goodtimes at age 7 and was there for 10 consecutive summers as a camper. She's now heading into her eighth summer as a camp counsellor and program leader.
"When I was a camper, counsellors were so cool, they make everything so much fun and I'm glad I can be that for those kids," said Caira. "It's a special place, there's nowhere like it. Some kids are bald, some are missing legs and they're more comfortable there than any place in their lives.
"The friends I made at camp when I was eight, I'm still friends with them. It's a whole intimate support system that you can't get in your hometown, regardless of where you live. When there were times my confidence was really low and your self-esteem is not where it should be, those are the people you reach out to in those moments."
At age 5, Caira was diagnosed with bone cancer in her right leg and a tumour was discovered attached to her thigh bone. Then living in Prince Rupert, she underwent chemotherapy but the treatment was ineffective in curing the disease, so she needed a procedure called rotationplasty. The surgery at BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver removed the midsection of her leg, including the knee, and her lower leg was then rotated and reattached to position the ankle joint where her knee used to be, with her foot facing backwards. Caira's repositioned ankle acts as a knee joint and allows her to flex her prosthetic lower leg, so she's able to take part in most activities.
Typically, the surgery is performed on children aged five to12 and surgeons try to position the reversed ankle so it will be at the same level of the knee of the healthy leg once the patient is fully grown.
"It's usually a cancer that's diagnosed in adolescent kids, so I was young for it to happen, which now I'm grateful for -- it eliminated the whole teenager thing of getting sick when you're that age," said Caira.
Since then, Caira has been cancer-free. She had a bit of a scare at age eight when doctors discovered spots on her lungs, but that turned out to be scar tissue from pneumonia. Considering the extent of her surgery, her mobility is remarkable. She loves to hike and can take part in most activities except those that require running.
Caira, 26, spent most of her life in Oyama and Salmon Arm before moving to Prince George in 2008 to attend UNBC. She graduated last year with a degree in fish and wildlife biology and now works as an industrial consultant for Pacific Environmental.
For more information on the camp, go to www.campgoodtimes.org.
