Into the Fire
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Mary Kay Carson's Story
Despite
battling peritoneal cancer on and off since 2001 with four surgeries
and more than 50 chemotherapy treatments, and serving as a mentor
for a local gynecologic cancer support group, Mary Kay Carson, 60,
of Springfield says she hadn’t truly accepted her cancer diagnosis
until she attended a bonfire at Camp Bluebird, an adult cancer camp,
last September.
Carson says the bonfire activity, in which campers throw scraps of
paper representing their regrets, sorrows, worries and stresses into
the fire, allowed her to reexamine her life eight years after her
diagnosis.
“I learned to let go of my worries and take each day for what it
is. Dr. James Bosscher of St. John’s Clinic-Women’s Oncology, tells
me every time he sees me that I really shouldn’t be alive,” she
laughs. “Every day I’m here is a gift.”
Camp Bluebird’s next session is April 22-24. The retreat is a
special project of St. John’s C. H. “Chub” O’Reilly Cancer Center
and the AT&T Pioneers. The Pioneers are a group of local retired
telephone company employees who volunteer their time to help others
in the community. They approached St. John’s in 1990 about starting
an Ozarks chapter of Camp Bluebird. The first local Camp Bluebird
session was held in the fall of 1991.
Camp is held for three days and two nights at Camp Maranatha near
Everton, which is about an hour’s drive west of Springfield. The
camp is nestled in the woods and provides a refreshing experience
close to nature.
Transportation to and from camp is also provided, and accommodations
are made for cancer survivors with special needs. This is evaluated
and arranged through the camp nurse.
Camp costs $40 per participant. Partial and full scholarships are
available for those in need of assistance.
Oncology nursing staff, nutritionists, a chaplain and a social
worker from St. John’s are all on hand to care for the campers, says
Connie Zimmerman, director of Camp Bluebird and oncology program
coordinator.
“We usually have 50-55 campers at each session joined by oncology
staff, volunteers from St. John’s, AT&T Pioneers and cancer care
partners from the community. St. John’s oncologist and oncology
medical director, Gary Hoos, M.D., comes to every session. He
answers questions and update’s campers on the latest cancer
treatments, technology, and survivorship information. There is a
real sense of open acceptance, hospitality, care and compassion,”
Zimmerman says.
Camp Bluebird serves as a touchstone for the long-term cancer
survivors who attend and the volunteers who staff it, says AT&T
Pioneer Doranna Manary, who has lost several family members to
cancer and has been involved in nearly every aspect of Camp Bluebird
since it started 18 years ago.
“I come home from Camp Bluebird really feeling good about life,” she
says. “For the volunteers, it’s a way to ‘recharge our batteries.’
The Camp Bluebird experience really puts things into perspective and
makes you realize what’s really important in life. The best thing
about it is the great feeling we get from providing a way for cancer
patients to connect with others who are going through the same
thing.”
Each camp has a theme. The next session, will celebrate the great
movies and musicals of the 1930s and 1940s. All activities at camp
are optional; Zimmerman says campers are encouraged to focus on what
they need while they are there.
“We encourage personal reflective time as well as sharing with the
others. We do a lot of ‘laugh therapy’ … we have a talent show, play
board games, do puzzles, make crafts, learn together, and some nap,”
she says.
In the spirit of the camp’s namesake, campers can build a bluebird
house. The bluebird is an international symbol of hope.
Carson says she’s looking forward to attending the spring session
and making a bluebird house this time. She keeps the glass bluebird
paperweight she received at the end of the September 2008 session
in her office at Springfield Public Schools’ Instructional Media and
Library department.
“I keep my bluebird paperweight in view so I’m reminded of my
experience at Camp Bluebird. It was a very, very important moment in
my life.”