Pocono News Section

Laughter Abounds at Camp Kydnie

Laughter Abounds at Camp Kydnie - Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 4:58PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Wednesday, Jul 8, 2009 @ 04:58pm EST
Millville, Columbia County-

Dozens of sick kids from around Pennsylvania are forgetting their problems for a few days at Camp Kydnie near Millville.

61 kids came to camp this year, from ages 6-18.

Their common denominator? They suffer from some form of kidney or urological disease.

But for at least a few days, they’re simply enjoying some of the fun things life has to offer.

17-year-old Alicia Witherite, of State College, said, “They have some things the teens can do, and then they have things for the little kids.”

Shane Groce, 14, of Lewistown, noted, “The climbing wall, the zip line, the ropes course, it’s a bunch of fun.”

Since 1994, Camp Kydnie has put smiles on the faces of roughly 800 children, helping them forget the health and physical limitations imposed on them by their disease.

The medical staff here is equipped to deal with any and all issues that may arise.

Geisinger pediatric resident Dr. Anna Antonopulos explained, “At a camp like this, we have the staff so they can go to the med shed, take care of what they have to do, and then they can get back and climb the wall and do what they really want to do.”

Most kids who come here enjoy it so much they keep coming back. Groce said, “Everyone here in my cabin I’ve known since I’ve been coming here. I’ve been coming for nine years.”

Many even volunteer to return as counselors when they become adults. That’s Alicia’s goal. She added, “I guess I just want the other kids to get to feel the experience that I had too.”

Counselors here emphasize independence and a positive self-image among the campers.

Dr. Antonopulos noted, “Kids who are sick or have some type of chronic illness really can be kids. It’s camps like this that really let them have fun and do things they normally couldn’t do.”

The Camp Victory site hosts about two dozen camps for children with a variety of physical and mental ailments each year.