Camp Crosley Welcomes Kids Who Suffer Certain Diseases
June 14, 2019 at 12:00 a.m.
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However, unlike a “typical” week of summer camp, Norris is attending one of the weeks designated at Camp Crosley for certain diseases.
Camp Crosley’s one-week sessions include one for sickle cell, one for diabetes and one for bleeding disorders.
Norris has hemophilia.
Camp Crosley brings in kids from all across the state who suffer from bleeding disorders, offering busing from Indianapolis to kids who live farther away in the state, said Jen Maahs, nurse practitioner at Indiana Hemophilia Thrombosis Center.
Hemophilia of Indiana also helps raise funds for the camp so kids can attend on scholarship or get some of the costs paid for.
Maahs said they want to make sure no child misses the event because of an inability to pay.
“I believe some of my friends wouldn’t be able to come” if it wasn’t for the busing from Indianapolis, Norris said.
During the camp session, Indiana Hemophilia Thrombosis Center also provides medical staff in order to look out for the medical needs for the campers.
Campers look forward to activities like such as tubing, ziplining, snorkeling and music fusion.
Norris said he personally learned how to play the guitar and drums during music fusion classes.
“They have different interests for different kids,” Maahs said.
Activities can turn into classes. As for certain activities, such as music fusion, you don’t necessarily need the knowledge to start off with, but you can learn, Norris said.
Campers learn about different cultures as the camp brings people from all over the world. Norris has one counselor from the U.K. and one from Brazil.
During the camp, campers learn how to give themselves, or others, shots. This is helpful because Norris has had hemophilia since birth. He used to have an IV two or three times a week, which would take about 10 minutes each. In order to do that, he would have to find a vein to insert the needle into each time.
Late last year, several of Norris’ doctors suggested a new drug called Hemlibra.
IHTC learned about the drug because the center was part of the trial, Maahs said.
The new drug is a shot that would be administered in Norris’ thigh, abdomen or shoulder and is two shots a month, he said, which gives him more freedom in not having to worry about the continual IVs. When traveling, he can work the shots around that, instead of having to pack several needles with his bags.
“It’s something I embrace,” Norris said. “It’s not something I’m afraid of, for sure.”
Norris’ sister is attending the camp and she has learned how to administer an IV. She is a carrier of the hemophilia gene and there is a chance her children may have the same disease her brother does, Norris said.
When campers are able to find a vein properly, they get a Big Stick Award, which is a stick that campers are able to put different awards on.
However, campers are not the only ones going for the award, as the counselors get an education on the disease during the week.
“Some of the counselors go for the big stick,” Maahs said.
Norris has been going to Camp Crosley since he was 7. Now 16, this is his last year, but he is planning on joining the leadership-in-training program, which is a two-year program where he’d learn how to help with the younger kids. After that, he plans on becoming a counselor for as long as he can and possibly work during the other specialized weeks and learn about the other diseases.
There’s a few reasons why Norris wants to continue on going to the camp. The biggest is he found a second family at the camp.
“When I talk about the camp being a second family, it’s not just about the other campers,” Norris said. It’s also about the counselors and the medical staff.
“It’s so much more than hemophilia here,” he said.
He said there are campers that he stays in touch with and every year it’s like a reunion.
He also said he keeps coming back to the camp because it allows him to branch out from home.
Coming to the camp has allowed him to become bolder in his actions, he said.
However, unlike a “typical” week of summer camp, Norris is attending one of the weeks designated at Camp Crosley for certain diseases.
Camp Crosley’s one-week sessions include one for sickle cell, one for diabetes and one for bleeding disorders.
Norris has hemophilia.
Camp Crosley brings in kids from all across the state who suffer from bleeding disorders, offering busing from Indianapolis to kids who live farther away in the state, said Jen Maahs, nurse practitioner at Indiana Hemophilia Thrombosis Center.
Hemophilia of Indiana also helps raise funds for the camp so kids can attend on scholarship or get some of the costs paid for.
Maahs said they want to make sure no child misses the event because of an inability to pay.
“I believe some of my friends wouldn’t be able to come” if it wasn’t for the busing from Indianapolis, Norris said.
During the camp session, Indiana Hemophilia Thrombosis Center also provides medical staff in order to look out for the medical needs for the campers.
Campers look forward to activities like such as tubing, ziplining, snorkeling and music fusion.
Norris said he personally learned how to play the guitar and drums during music fusion classes.
“They have different interests for different kids,” Maahs said.
Activities can turn into classes. As for certain activities, such as music fusion, you don’t necessarily need the knowledge to start off with, but you can learn, Norris said.
Campers learn about different cultures as the camp brings people from all over the world. Norris has one counselor from the U.K. and one from Brazil.
During the camp, campers learn how to give themselves, or others, shots. This is helpful because Norris has had hemophilia since birth. He used to have an IV two or three times a week, which would take about 10 minutes each. In order to do that, he would have to find a vein to insert the needle into each time.
Late last year, several of Norris’ doctors suggested a new drug called Hemlibra.
IHTC learned about the drug because the center was part of the trial, Maahs said.
The new drug is a shot that would be administered in Norris’ thigh, abdomen or shoulder and is two shots a month, he said, which gives him more freedom in not having to worry about the continual IVs. When traveling, he can work the shots around that, instead of having to pack several needles with his bags.
“It’s something I embrace,” Norris said. “It’s not something I’m afraid of, for sure.”
Norris’ sister is attending the camp and she has learned how to administer an IV. She is a carrier of the hemophilia gene and there is a chance her children may have the same disease her brother does, Norris said.
When campers are able to find a vein properly, they get a Big Stick Award, which is a stick that campers are able to put different awards on.
However, campers are not the only ones going for the award, as the counselors get an education on the disease during the week.
“Some of the counselors go for the big stick,” Maahs said.
Norris has been going to Camp Crosley since he was 7. Now 16, this is his last year, but he is planning on joining the leadership-in-training program, which is a two-year program where he’d learn how to help with the younger kids. After that, he plans on becoming a counselor for as long as he can and possibly work during the other specialized weeks and learn about the other diseases.
There’s a few reasons why Norris wants to continue on going to the camp. The biggest is he found a second family at the camp.
“When I talk about the camp being a second family, it’s not just about the other campers,” Norris said. It’s also about the counselors and the medical staff.
“It’s so much more than hemophilia here,” he said.
He said there are campers that he stays in touch with and every year it’s like a reunion.
He also said he keeps coming back to the camp because it allows him to branch out from home.
Coming to the camp has allowed him to become bolder in his actions, he said.
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