What a great week at Camp Youngblood hosted by Camp Holiday Trails (CHT) in Charlottesville. We all experienced camp magic from the youngest campers to the seasoned counselors and staff. Counselors and staff worked tirelessly to make the session extra special! Everyone enjoyed the crazy yet fun camp activities while making and renewing friendships. These important relationships at camp continue to make our community strong and caring.
Some fun facts from CHT about this years Camp Youngblood: Session 4 (Camp Youngblood) is CHT’s largest camp of the season, there were 8 volunteers for this session (and a few were Camp Youngblood attendees not that long ago!) and 2 of the staff counselors this season are VHF members and Camp Youngblood alum, congrats Will George and Patti Williford on becoming counselors!
I had the privilege of serving as camp nurse this year and it was a special year seeing many kids grow and take on more responsibility. This year several siblings and children of those with bleeding disorders came to infusion clinic to learn more about the infusion process. It was wonderful to see kids who earned infusion awards at camp last year come back and be determined to practice and get more proficient in their skills. Three special campers this year earned Golden Stick awards for completing their first self-infusion at camp, and should be commended for their amazing work!
I love seeing the thrill and excitement on the camper’s faces when they are successful in getting the vein. It’s encouraging to observe all the campers and counselors cheer each other on to “Choose your Challenge”. They truly become like family to each other in the course of the week. Many thanks to Virginia Hemophilia Foundation and Hemophilia Association of the Capital Area for partnering together on Camp Youngblood this year and thank you to our sponsors Bayer, CSL Behring, CVS Caremark Specialty Pharmacy, Diplomat Specialty Infusion Group, DrugCo Health, Grifols, Matrix Health Group, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer and Shire.
Amy Walker BSN, RN | VHF Member
