To all that helped take care of my little Scarlett this weekend. . .

Dear HFNC's Family Camp attendees,

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all that helped take care of my princess this weekend. . . It was amazing to watch the community step up to give Scarlett the best camp experience while I was hauled up in the cabin taking care of her brother. I'm touched and forever grateful for all that you did.
This weekend was the ever anticipated Hemophilia Foundation of N.California's Annual Family Camp. My daughter and I attended last year for the first time and had a life changing experience. We had been looking forward to this years' ever since.

Unfortunately, I'd be lying if I said the trip didn't start off on the wrong foot to begin with. Several days before we were supposed to be leaving, I was suffering though horrible pains and was questioning my own participation in the weekend. But I was ready to fight through it, in hopes of giving Walker the Family Camp experience he had been begging for, since his sister and I returned from camp last year.

Scarlett was all smiles at the campfire

SO we set off to camp Friday afternoon. Excitement and energy was beaming off of the kids as we pulled out of the driveway. But 2 1/2 hours later, by the time we pulled into camp the color had faded from my sons face and his energy seemed to deflate out of him. By the time I had unpacked and was starting to get them ready to go down to the Food Hall, Walker started to cough, and then he got that look on his face. I ran him outside where he proceeded to throw up everywhere. Ironically he had been having asthma attacks all week (which make him throw) and he had just been to the the DR where they cleared him to go to camp. So I gave him his inhaler, and just told him to lay down for a bit. I had no idea he wouldn't bounce back and had no idea WE would be spending the next 16 hours confined to the cabin while gracious members of the bleeding disorder took care of Scarlett.

Cars were filling the Taylor Family Foundation Camp and Scarlett was more than anxious to get down to the Dinner Hall and meet up with a friend she had made from the holiday party. So I bundled them up and trampled down the hill, already feeling overwhelmed, anxious. . . and soon to be at the mercy of the bleeding disorder community. Several minutes after being amongst the crowd it was obvious this wasn't a good atmosphere for Walker and I decided I had to take him back up to the cabin. The only problem was, this wasn't going to go over well with Scarlett whom hadn't even seen her friend yet. SO I decided I had to find someone to leave her with.

ME, the Mom that was crying as they unknowingly took her away to a rock wall last year, had to just leave her with what could be considered complete strangers. I searched the room and quickly recognized a familiar face, a dear friend that I've been to several events with and even traveled back from St.Louis with after last years HFA's Symposium. I ran over, gave her a hug. Quickly rambled my sob story to her. Apologized and plopped Scarlett down. I promised to be back ASAP and ran Walker up the hill to let him rest in the cabin for a little longer.

Craft time 

Not five minutes after getting into the cabin, he looked at me and said he was going to throw up again. . . to which he did. All over me. After the second change of clothes, disinfecting the bathroom, in complete fear that one of the families we would be rooming with, was going to be walking in while I'm on my hands and knees cleaning the floor. . . I decided to call it quits. I was ready to just go home. I felt completely overwhelmed, alone, and didn't know what to do.

SO I packed up Walker and carried my 38 lb son down the hill to go find my daughter and break the news to her that I thought we should go home. I just couldn't picture staying up all night on a bunk bed with a sick child that was coughing and apparently now suffering from the flu on top of his asthma attacks?? UGH. I couldn't do that to these families. It's days like this I feel like I just want to SCREAM, "why me??"

While I was working up the nerve to break the news to my daughter, I walked in to go tell the camp directors the news and was brought to tears over their reaction. It just WASN'T going to be an option. They seemed to scramble like ants, running over to the table filled with registration information and said they could put me up in a cabin where we weren't going to bother anyone else. I instantly started to cry. I HATE ASKING FOR HELP, and rarely am blessed with people doing things out of the kindness of their heart so you could imaging the surprise I was feeling as these people I barely knew would do so much just to make our time there easier. One of the ladies literally insisted on carrying all of our luggage, bedding and shoes up a hill and two flights of stairs, to the new cabin, while I stayed and took care of Walker. I've never had somebody I didn't know help me so much. I was astonished and forever grateful.

Scarlett & her platelet bleeder bestie 

When I regained my composure and went to find Scarlett I was again brought to tears. She was content as can be, surrounded by her bleeder buddies making crafts and having the time of her life. She was hanging out with another amazing family and their daughter by this time. I had only met this family once before and they so amazingly took Scarlett under their wing while I was nowhere to be seen for 2 hours. I even found a generous plate of food waiting for me, that had been perfectly plated by the caring women that fed her dinner and dessert while I was missing in action. Simply one of the sweetest things ever.

So I went over to Scarlett and explained that we were moving cabins and that I would be up their trying to give her brother a little TLC, still in denial that he wasn't just having asthma induced throwing up episodes. Sometime later, after trying to convince myself he was O.K. and feeling the need to find my daughter in the now dark camp, I decided to pack poor Walker up and go find his sister. I found her at the camp fire, again, totally taken care of and unaffected by what was happening with her brother.

After Walker so willingly powered through some camp fire songs and a graham cracker while all the others munched on delicious s'mores, we decided to call it a night. Walker had gone over an hour in a half without getting sick, So I was naively hopeful we were on the way to recovery and he would be fine by the a.m.

The one time Walker got to play

When we woke up Saturday a.m. everything seemed fine. We showered. Got dressed. Read some books. Walker seemed back to normal so we headed down to the Food Haul for breakfast, anxiously anticipating all the fun to be had. Walker ran around for a half an hour playing frisbee. Laughing. Jumping around and having a ball. But when we sat down for breakfast and he took his first few bites of food. . . all that changed. He got that look again, and I ran him outside. He embarrassingly threw up all over the entry way to where everyone was coming in to eat. One of my most horrifying child moments EVER.

Scarlett playing frisbee 

It was then I decided we just needed to get little Walker home. I went up and packed up the car and had to go break the news to Scarlett. Luckily I had already prepared her for this after it was obvious he was sick. It just wasn't fare to expose these kids to his germs, so we would be leaving early. By the time I had packed up the car, spoke to the staff, and found Scarlett . . . She was getting prepped to go on the rock climbing wall. This was one of the things she was looking forward to the most and that her brother had been anxiously awaiting to see as well.

I approached the group and told the camp counselors that we were going to have to go home. Scarlett took the news like a champ. They let her climb the giant rock wall first. Snapped a picture of her and her new "platelet bleeder bestie" and even let Walker climb on the little rock wall. Letting both of them leave camp being able to check off the biggest thing on their list and leaving a lasting impression on me and the little ones.

So although we left camp early and didn't get to experience all we had hoped for. I was able to walk away feeling like I was able to teach the kids some very important lessons.

(Unfortunately). . . #1:Life happens! Crappy things happen at crappy times. And we may never know why.
(Most importantly). . .#2:There are amazing people in this community. Kind. Giving. Selfless. Wonderful People.

Thanks again for taking care of my princess,

Written by,

Kari Peepe

©KariPeepe/atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com

http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com

For more stories about Bleeding Disorder Events I've attended please check out . . .

• http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2016/01/to-all-that-helped-take-care-of-my.html (HFNC Family Camp 2016)
• http://www.hemophiliafed.org/news-stories/2015/05/infusing-love-physical-fundraising/ (Fundraising/Walk 2015)
• http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2015/04/hfa-symposium-2015-stlouis.html (HFA Symposium 2015)
• http://www.hemophiliafed.org/news-stories/2015/02/infusing-love-an-unexpected-haven/ (HFNC Family Camp 2015)
• http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2015/12/tis-season-not-just-holiday-party.html (HFNC Holiday party 2015)
• http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com/2016/04/hfnc-crab-feed.html (HFNC Crab feed 2016)