This past week was AMP CAMP WEEK. I could probably write an entire novel about why this has been the week that makes me BEAM, for like the last ten (honestly, I lost track) years. I'm smiling just thinking about it. Every single time I meet a young amputee, I tell them about the Amputee Coalition Youth Camp, and why they absolutely have to go.
It's one week at Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio, where about 140 young amputees and 35 counselors all gather for the most fun time ever. This was my third year as a counselor and it's probably the most rewarding job I know. Did I mention we're ALL missing at least one limb??? This is the week when the kids throw their legs off, race up rock walls, jump through ropes courses, take endless flips in the swimming pool, break out into flash mob dances at lunchtime, race each other on the basketball court, get into some aggressive games of Gaga, swap prosthetics, and walk around camp with a smile that comes from knowing you're around people who look like you. When I walk down the dining hall, around ~180 other amputees, I don't get any reactions to my slight limp. Because no one's paying attention to it. The kids at camp know there will always be stares/questions/some pity coming from strangers, the people who come up to us and give us a congratulations on walking outside because 'Wow, you're doing so well despite...' BS. Despite what? At camp, I see my kids' faces light up when they find a friend who teaches them how to tie their shoe with one arm, when they learn how to break-dance in a large crowd and totally own it without hesitation, when they realize they're a beast at sitting volleyball, and actually enjoy hiking when there's a group willing to find ways to get those legs up the terrain. They smile, they are accepted, they celebrate themselves... they realize they can do SO MUCH if they just try. That's what camp did for me, and that's what I want for my campers. We have late-night chats about the kids at school, how to fit tight jeans over prosthetics, how to clean liners the right way, how to demand a better prosthetist (yes, there are bad ones), how to get involved in sports, who they talk to when they need help... We teach them independence, because that opens the door to everything for us. Being our own advocates. As counselors, we show the kids that they never have to settle. Yeah, in the non-camp world, when our campers are back in a pool of able-bodies, that tinge of 'Here we go again with everyone watching/I look different doing XYZ than everyone else here' may kick in, but if the kids just hold on to what it felt like when they tossed aside their hesitations at camp, hold onto the memories of how much fun they had when they just went for it, and channel that mindset for whatever crowd they're in, they won't hold back -- they'll kick ass. The kids realize if they're willing to adapt just a little bit, they can do anything. You want to climb the rock wall at your local gym? Go. Right now. Show 'em your one-arm strength. You want to go down the waterslide at the pool party? Throw the leg off. Who cares if you don't walk up the stairs - hop. Find a way. You know you want to go down that slide... Nervous about that limp when you walk past lockers in the hallway? Let's get you in shorts, and teach you a dance. Walk down the hallway with some confidence in just how balanced you really are. And I obviously go back to see the counselors, too. We're best friends, and we've been there for each other in more ways than I can count. They brought out the stronger side of me that celebrates my body. And that's special. It's a unique perspective we have, celebrating a body type that the rest of the world would not choose. That's why it's so important as a kid to have that support system. Nearly none of us have amputee moms, dads or siblings... but we have each other and that means the world. For just one week a year, it is so rejuvenating to be around a community that 'gets it' at a level most people just don't. In other news, I've spent the past month exploring Boston on the weekends while working as a clinical research intern. This city is full of so many surprises: beautiful parks, med campuses, boardwalks...and yep, I've already tackled the ice cream list. Still on the hunt for coffee shops, though. I miss a really good dirty chocolate chai from Hopkins. Until then, Starbucks!
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