In 1975, the Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation came up with a revolutionary idea -- a sleep-over summer camp program for children with chronic kidney disorders. The kidney campers receive dialysis treatments in the state-of-the-art Ruth Gottscho Dialysis Center located in the camp’s new Guenther Family Wellness Center.

Today, when you visit the Frost Valley YMCA camp in New York’s Catskill Mountains, you see hundreds of kids swimming, boating, horseback riding, playing volleyball and more. As you look around, you’d be hard-pressed to pick out those who receive dialysis treatments as part of their routine. And that’s the whole idea. During their two-week stay the focus is less on their disease and more on meeting new friends, participating in camp activities, and gaining self-confidence and self-esteem.
 

Jerry Huncosky, President & CEO of Frost Valley YMCA, at the dedication of the Guenther Family Wellness Center: “I believe the partnership of the Gottscho Foundation, Montefiore and Frost Valley is the single most important partnership in the history of camping.”

That was the first thing Patrick asked when he got home from the kidney camp program at Frost Valley.

For the last five years, since he was seven years old, Patrick Castell, Jr., has been hooked up three times a week to a life-saving machine that does the work his kidneys can’t.  He’s a friendly and sociable boy who was never able to be too far from home – until last summer.  For the first time, he said goodbye to his mom, dad, sister and brother and went off to sleep-away camp.

Patrick bunked with healthy kids who treated him like a regular kid. At first they didn’t realize he needed dialysis treatments a few hours a day three times a week. Despite his treatment schedule, Patrick spent most of his time enjoying camp activities with his new friends.

“I noticed such a change in him when he got back,” said his mother, Janet. “All by himself he made Rice Krispies treats like they did at camp and was more conscious of what needed to be done and when it needed to be done. He seems so independent.”

Those memories of camp helped Patrick through the tough time he had when his transplanted kidney failed. He’s on the waiting list for another.

Alisha Khan was diagnosed with kidney disease when she was four years old.  She never had much of a childhood; the hospital was like her second home.  For years, Sharda couldn’t even speak about her daughter’s illness without choking up and starting to cry.

Dr. Rick Kaskel, Alisha’s doctor at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, has also been the medical director of the camp’s kidney program for almost 30 years. When he told Sharda that camp would be a great experience for Alisha, the thought of it made her shudder. Dr. Kaskel told her that Alisha would get the same high-quality care at camp that she received at the hospital.

“I was scared out of my wits,” said Sharda. “I cried all the way up to the camp and all the way home.”  In time, Sharda came to trust that Alisha was going to be fine.

Alisha came home very excited about camp. For the first time she got to play in the rain and roll down a hill. There were campfires and walks in the dark with her flashlight. And none of the other kids ever mentioned anything about her health. She came away with a sense that she could do anything.

Sharda realizes that Alisha’s experience at camp also helped her as a mother: “Alisha was stronger than I gave her credit for. We don’t have to hold her hand all the time. Alisha’s summer camp experience gave me courage and confidence, too.”

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