Annual "Hand Camp" Brings Kids and Families Together

Making friends and having fun is what camp is all about, right? The Hand Camp at Shriners Hospitals for Children— St. Louis, is about friends, fun, and so much more.

Held over Labor Day weekend at Camp Lakewood in Potosi, Mo., the second annual Hand Camp brought together children with conditions affecting the upper limbs and hands. The kids enjoyed climbing rock walls, singing around the campfire, fishing and archery.

Along the way, they also learned how to be more independent, discovered ways to accommodate their disabilities, and provided each other with emotional encouragement and support.

“It’s magical to watch the junior counselors provide real-life examples of adaptations for the younger campers,” said Valeri Calhoun, senior occupational therapist at Shriners Hospitals for Children – St. Louis. “I had several parents tell me that this experience was life-changing for their children.”

Sixteen patients, along with their families, attended this year's camp.
 
Jeanne Swanner, mother of Morgan Swanner, 9, said that before attending Hand Camp last year, Morgan was starting to become self-conscience about her right arm, which is shorter than the other arm. Morgan also and has a partially developed right hand. After she attended the camp and saw other kids with similar situations, Jeanne said her daughter blossom into an outgoing and independent individual.

“This camp is just as important to us as the surgeries Morgan has had at Shriners,” said Jeanne. “To see the interaction between the kids and to watch them come out of their shells is unbelievable. This year, someone came up to Morgan and said she was inspired by her.”

In between activities, parents had their own sessions where they could discuss current and future challenges their children may face, such as bullying, shaking hands, employment, holding hands and participating in sports. The group sessions gave parents an opportunity to network and learn that there are various ways to approach a situation.

One of the group sessions featured the camp’s junior counselors —  all former patients of the hospital with hand differences —  who demonstrated the “tricks” they’ve discovered that have helped them make their own everyday activities easier, such as different ways to make a ponytail or style their hair, or using adaptive equipment to help them play sports. They also answered questions about learning how to drive and what it’s like to be in college.

In 2008, Charles Goldfarb, M.D., orthopaedic surgeon and hand specialist at Shriners Hospitals for Children— St. Louis, and the late Loray Dailey, former director of the occupational therapy department at the hospital, envisioned a camp to bring together patients who have hand differences. Before Daily's passing last year, she was able to see her vision come true. Camp organizers and attendees honored Dailey’s memory by including her name on the official 2009 Hand Camp shirt.