HOUSTON — We caught up with some happy campers on Sunday. They were setting off on a week-long escape from everyday life and, in many cases, life-threatening illness.
Camp Periwinkle has been a destination for children with cancer and their siblings for more than 30 years.
“I’m going to camp,” said 10-year-old Marabelle Danticat. “On a scale of one of 10, 10. That’s how excited I am.”
Marabelle deserves a good time after what she’s been through.
“I’ve had cancer twice,” Marabelle said. “Once when I was four, then I got it again when I was eight.”
She’s among 187 children going to Camp Periwinkle this year. The foundation has provided a week-long escape for Texas Children’s Hospital cancer patients, survivors, and their siblings for the last 35 summers.
“I think it’s a reward for the difficult time they’ve been through to go and have fun with other kids who have been through similar sort of challenges,” said parent Callum Lawson.
Arda Edgu-Fry shared a diagnosis with his schoolmate Jacob Duchon.
“In about the middle of second grade, I was diagnosed with leukemia at pretty much the same day he was,” Arda said.
"It caused us to get to know each other more,” Jacob said.
Arda was easy to spot boarding his bus with hair colored especially for camp.
“It’s a lot of fun now because I can do so many more things,” Arda said.
Riding horses, swimming, and zip-lining are among the things campers can do this week while leaving doctors, nurses, and chemo behind for a while. More than 100 volunteers make the trip to camp to keep an eye on activities and medical care.
Click here to find out more about Camp Periwinkle.