What a week it was!! Luella attended Camp Oz in Hudson,WI June 19 - 24 and had a blast! She's already talking about camp next year!
What is Camp Oz? (From the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota's website.)
Founded in 1982, Camp Oz is a traditional summer camp that provides a safe and fun camping experience for youth ages 9–17 with epilepsy.
Camp Oz is intended for youth with epilepsy, and siblings, ages 9-17 who have a high level of independence. Traditionally, campers enjoy activities like swimming, horseback riding, team-building exercises, and more. Space includes 15 cabins, two modern bathroom/shower buildings, an indoor lodge/dining hall/activity center and beachfront access.
Luella was all ready to go to Camp Oz in 2020. You can take a sibling and Ashlyn was also signed up to go with Luella, then COVID hit. Camp was cancelled. This was the first year Camp Oz was back! Luella was ready to go - even without her sister since Ashlyn was also gone that week for a choir trip to NYC.
Jim and I dropped Luella off at camp on Father's Day, June 19. It was HOT. No air conditioning in the cabins but it wasn't too bad. Each camper brought their own personal fan. We helped Luella set up her sleeping area and she met her cabin counselors. Luella's cabin had 7 girls, 2 camp counselors and a cabin nurse. I felt very confident in leaving Luella at camp and knew she was in good hands.
Today pictures from camp were shared with the families and it definitely looked like a fun time. Swimming, archery, games, rock climbing, camp fires with s'mores, dancing, songs, crafts, horses, etc... WHEW!
Luella filled out a camper survey the last day of camp. One of the questions was, "What was the best part of camp?" Her reply? "Being away from my parents!!" The camp staff got a kick out of that! I get it... she basically doesn't get to be away from us much at home. She gets a little freedom to be outside at our house, or at the neighbors, with friends, but she can't just go to the park or go off on her own. At camp she had more freedom and she loved that! I hope and pray she continues to do so well and can have more experiences like these!
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| Luella (far left) and her cabin mates. |
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| Camp Oz 2022 (Luella is right above the purple heart.) |
Camp Oz staff are truly amazing! They are so well organized and they do all the right things to keep kids like Luella safe while away from home and getting to do something so many kids do every summer without any extra thought. A LOT of thought goes into Camp Oz and we thank all those who made this week of camp so amazing for Luella and 60+ campers!
If you'd like to read the camp blog about the daily activities during
Luella's week you can do that here:
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