Camp Conquest at Children's Harbor

On Monday Frank and I ate lunch at the table with Randy's niece, Della and her husband John.  Della is a school nurse and John is a firefighter.  I think they are both pretty cool people....or at least I did before lunch.  After lunch I thought they were amazingly awesome.  My post today is about Camp Conquest at Children's Harbor.  My personal journey with burned bodies began about 16 years ago when my daughter, Kat,  was badly burned in a boat explosion.  I have a healthy respect for doctors who treat burned victims, therapists who help them begin over, and all the hundreds of other people who were there when Kat and I made our journey out of the fire.  When Kat was in college my friend, Karen Kison, who has helped set up and run the Burn Camp called Camp Conquest at Children's Harbor for several years, asked Kat to work one.  She was in school and couldn't....and it has just never worked out for her to participate.  She would be great...because she has walked in their shoes. Frank and I both have played small parts in the camp and get a lot out of it.  Doctors and nurses from Children's Hospital in B'ham take a week of their vacations and bring badly burned children to Lake Martin and there they come alive...they swim, they go on boat rides, they are normal for a short period of time....but best of all.....they smile!  Still Magnolias sang for them one year and I don't know who got the most out of it...the kids....or us!  Excuse me...I am chasing rabbits here...back to Della and John.  We started out talking about their son Connor's Diabetes camp that will be in a week.  It is held on Lake Martin at Camp ASCCA and costs one child $600.00 to go. Della and John started a facebook campaign to raise $1000.00 so that other less fortunate children can go on scholarship! Is that not an amazing gesture?  If you'd like to help you can just go to the link I have provided at http://www.firstgiving.com/connorbuchanan. This camp at Camp ASCCA is an Easter Seals Camp...but I will blog about it later.  Back to our lunch conversation....John said..."Connor will be gone a week, then he will come home and I will be at camp for a week."  "Camp?" I asked, "What kind of camp?"  I figured he was attending some kind of firefighter camp....his response floored me.  "Burn Camp on Lake Martin, " he said, "This will be my second year."  WOW!  John went from cool to way cool in my books.  This firefighting father and husband takes a week out of his life and goes and works Camp Conquest.  It turns out....that firefighters from all over...bring boats and take the campers for rides, donate meals, pop in and cook.  It is an amazing event.  The camp costs the kids not one dime....and they get to bring a friend and/or family member.  In 2009 Camp Conquest Children's Burn Camp at Children's Harbor on Lake Martin near Kowliga, Ala. had about 15 pediatric burn victims attending the camp along with about 35 friends and siblings. That is the really cool thing....they get to bring friends and family members....for FREE!  During the time they are there they have a blast.  The counselors, the doctors, the staff, the nurses see to it and they do an amazing job.  Today...I want to thank everyone who volunteers to work for this camp....you guys rock!  Happy Wednesday to all!