Cancer Camp Devoted to Raising Spirits

By Laura Urbani

Each year at the end of May, a group of cancer patients gathers at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center near Mt. Pleasant.

They are drawn together by illness, but cancer diagnoses are the last thing on anyone’s mind. In fact, the “C word” is hardly mentioned at all.

Camp Raising Spirits, sponsored by the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, keeps campers too busy building crafts, dancing and laughing to care about a disease that permeates every aspect of their lives.

“This is an adult oncology camp,” said Marmee Maylone, a nurse practitioner at Sewickley Oncology and Hematology and the camp’s co- chairwoman. “This is unique — the only one of its kind in the country.”

Although there are many camps for children, Camp Raising Spirits caters to adults age 18 and older.

For three days, campers can try arts and crafts that range from painting birdhouses to arranging flowers. There are dance classes, evening campfires and singing.

Many activities are repeated each year, although the organizers do try some new things.

“When something works and the campers enjoy it, we try to renew and repeat those,” said George Omiros, camp co-chairman and executive director of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

“It’s a very full agenda,” said Maylone, adding that manicures and massages are the most popular sessions. “Something is going on at just about every cabin.”

“If anything, they try to do too much,” Omiros said of the campers. “In the beginning, we didn’t give too much free time. We’ve learned we have to force free time.”

On average, the camp plays host to about 60 cancer patients; each may bring one guest. The camp accepts any cancer patient at any stage of the illness, including cancer survivors.

Lori Walters has been cancer free for 15 years, but she couldn’t wait to return Camp Raising Spirits. This year she brought her stepmother, so they both could relax after her father’s recent death from cancer.

“The family atmosphere and relaxation is wonderful,” said Walters, who lives in Saegertown, near Meadville.

The weekend may remind Walters about her own struggles with cancer: She was diagnosed in 1987 with Hodgkin’s disease. In 1990 she was diagnosed with leukemia, and she received a bone marrow transplant in 1991.

Walters doesn’t want to forget what it feels like to think life may be cut short.

“Just to be reminded of where you were — you need that when you’re a longtime survivor,” she said. “When you’re 15 years out, you take for granted you were in that situation.”

Family tradition

The camp has 78 volunteers who stay the whole weekend. Some 10 to 20 more attend for a day or a few hours.

“Many of the volunteers bring older children,” Maylone said.

Some, like the McMahon brothers, have made the camp a tradition.

Will and Brian McMahon, both in their early 20s, began coming to camp with their mother. Stephanie McMahon was an integral part of the camp, serving as a board member and volunteer.

“We always did stuff together,” said Brian McMahon, who first came to the camp eight years ago. “She said, ‘You’re coming up.” I didn’t argue. We had a great weekend and have been coming ever since.”

Stephanie McMahon, an oncology nurse, died of multiple myeloma almost two years ago.

“Last year was a little hard,” said Will McMahon, recalling their first time at camp without their mom.

“She had been such an integral part,” said Brian McMahon. “It was therapeutic. We all have a connection to the disease.”

As volunteers, the brothers tend to a variety of duties, from driving campers around in golf carts to dancing at camp parties.

“Everybody gets to come up for the weekend and have fun,” said Will McMahon, who is spending his third year at camp. “You’re with people and you have a connection with everyone. You take an interest in them as a person, not as a patient. You build friendships.”

“It’s a good way to get away and not worry about the disease,” said his brother, who travels each year from his home in New Jersey. “I get as much out of doing it as the people who come here.”

Natural surroundings

Laurelville Mennonite Church Center offers a rustic setting that allows campers to get back in touch with nature. Activities are held in cabins, and walking paths allow campers to explore the 600-acre grounds. Just steps from the dining hall, a waterfall that produces a continuous hum of rushing water that soothes even the most fragile nerves.

“I’m a city girl,” said Martha Duncan of Pittsburgh’s North Hills. “It’s nice to be in the country.”

Duncan has been accompanying her mother-in-law to the camp for six years.

“It’s amazing they’ve been able to do this for 15 years,” she said. “It brings so many people together. People may be uncomfortable with their diagnosis, but you realize you’re all here for the same reason.”

Duncan said the weekend offers patients a respite from thinking about cancer, but it also puts them in touch with people who understand what they’re going through.

“You know everyone is here for similar reasons,” said Duncan. “You don’t have to talk about it. For others, they want to talk.

“They may not talk to their family about it. Or their friends or coworkers may not know they have cancer. Here they can talk.”

The majority of campers live in Southwestern Pennsylvania, but some travel longer distances to take part.

Pam Leins came from Erie with her best friend, Jane Gilson.

“It’s a girls’ weekend,” said Leins, whose husband also has cancer. “It’s such a wonderful experience.”

Leins was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in August 2007. Although her diagnosis is relatively recent, her upbeat attitude fits in perfectly at Camp Raising Spirits.

Everywhere one looks, smiles brighten faces and laughter echoes among the trees.

“You don’t know who is the camper and who is the worker,” said Gilson. “Everyone is equal. If people go away unhappy, there is something wrong with them.”

Camp Raising Spirits may not be able to improve a person’s health, but it will definitely improve their well-being.

“It’s a way to not be thinking about their disease for a few days,” Maylone said.

Eat right to lower your risk of cancer

Eating well is important to improving overall health and reducing your risk of cancer. Some suggestions for building a healthful diet:

Vegetables and fruits: Eat at least five servings of vegetables (including legumes) and fruits each day, especially those with the most color (a sign of high nutrient content). These foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other substances that work together to lower risk of several cancers, including cancers of the lung, mouth, esophagus, stomach, and colon.

If prepared properly, vegetables and fruits are usually low in calories, so eating them in place of higher-calorie foods also can help to control your weight.

Whole grains: Aim for at least three servings of whole grains each day. There are easy ways to add whole grains to your diet — eat oatmeal at breakfast, choose whole-wheat bread or wraps for a sandwich, whip up brown rice at dinner instead of white.

Processed and red meats: Cut back on processed meats such as hot dogs, bologna, and luncheon meat, and red meats such as beef, pork and lamb to help reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancers.

These foods are also high in saturated fat, so eating less of them and eating them less often will also help to lower your risk of heart disease.

Source: American Cancer Society

(c) 2008 Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.