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| Coquitlam Connection |
| 20/40 and Camp Report |
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| By Jenny Robulack 20/40 Group coordinator October 13-16, 2001, in Hamilton Ontario there was a 2nd International IOA 20/40 Focus Conference. I was fortunate to attend this conference, it was definitely an eye opening experience for me. I met many wonderful and inspiring people from around the world at this conference. I left the conference with a lot of confidence in myself, not only as a person, but especially a young person living with an ostomy. After I returned home from the conference I decided there needs to be a 20/40 group in the Lower Mainland. With the help of Jim DeGeer, a Young Adult (20/40) Ostomates Group was formed. The 20/40 group has met three times and we have 15 members that span across the Lower Mainland, from Abbotsford to Vancouver. Our meetings so far have given us a chance to get together and chat. This winter I hope to organize some group rates to attend Canucks games and other sporting events. My goal for the 20/40 group is for the people aged 19 to late 40�s to get together with fellow ostomates their age. I didn�t realize how important this was until I went to the International IOA 20/40 Focus Conference. While I was at the conference I met with a woman named Pat Cimmeck. Pat is the Secretary for the Board of Directors for UOAC, and the main founder of the Children�s Ostomy Camp at Camp Horizon. At the conference she did a presentation on Camp Horizon. I approached her with the interest to be a camp counselor, and this summer I attended camp for the first time. Camp Horizon is an Easter Seals camp that specializes in providing programs for adults with physical and developmental disabilities as well as children with serious illnesses such as cancer, cerebral palsy, diabetes, crohns and colitis. The ostomy camp was for the week of July 1-7, and we shared the week with children who are deaf or hard of hearing and children with kidney problems. The camp�s facilities include a beautiful outdoor pool, two dorms for campers, an arts and crafts dorm, a main lodge including; eating hall, nurses office, main office, public phone and laundry facilities. There are many activities for the campers to enjoy and the camp ensures through scheduling that everyone gets a chance at everything. They have a climbing wall, high rope obstacle course for people in wheelchairs and one for people not in wheelchairs, a high swing, beach volleyball, and a large field to play games on. There are also TeePees located on the grounds and a new offsite campsite. Everyday was jam packed full of things organized for the campers to do. Even mealtimes were eventful with people skipping around the lodge, for �punishment� by other campers or singing songs for wearing their hats at the table or putting their elbows on the table. It was fun watching the campers and counselors being �caught�. We had many new campers this summer, there were 6 of them on my team. All of the �Newbies� told me at the beginning of camp that they didn�t want to be there, and by the end of camp they told me through tear stained eyes that they didn�t want to leave. I have never met so many positive, courageous and strong people in my life. One of these people was a young boy named Aaron. Aaron was sponsored by our Coquitlam Chapter, and I was privileged enough to see what some of the fees from the chapter go towards. Aaron�s parents contacted us for sponsorship despite Aaron�s protests. He was one of the boys on my Team, and I got to know him quite well. His family drove from Burns Lake and dropped Aaron off at camp. The first day he was at camp he stayed close to the basketball hoops and beat the pants off campers and counselors playing Horse and 21. The second day of camp I asked Aaron if he was happy to be at camp. He told me that he didn�t want to come, but after talking to Craig, a veteran camper, he decided to see what it was like. He wasn�t convinced that it was as good as Craig exclaimed it was. The week went by and Aaron quickly made friends with other boys his age, both new campers and old. Every event and challenge we put in front of him he tried and enjoyed. We spent the second night at the teepees where our team sat in a circle and one by one told their story of why they were there. A lot of the kids didn�t feel comfortable talking, but Aaron was more than happy to share his ostomy experience. The last night of the camp we had a final camp fire. This is where a box of sticks is placed by the fire and when someone wants to speak, they take a stick say their thanks and throw the stick in the fire to represent the closing of their time at camp. This is a very emotional part of the camp, the campers and counselors share their experiences and talk of their inspirations. Aaron went up a couple times with the friends he made to give little stories of their experiences. His final stick he used to thank Pat Cimmeck for organizing the camp, and he thanked the Coquitlam chapter for sponsoring him to attend. The last day of camp, Aaron told me he was glad that he came. When I asked him if he was returning next year he said he definitely was, and was really excited about it. This is just one of the 30 fantastic kids that came to Camp Horizon. I walked away from that camp with a new sense of strength. I thought that as a counselor I would have a lot to offer and teach them, but I now realize that I took away much more from all of them. Without the Chapter�s support and sponsorship, Aaron and many of the other kids wouldn�t have been given the opportunity to meet other children with ostomies and similar illnesses. It�s a unique experience for these kids, because I know that there�s no where else they can hang out with other ostomate kids their age. If you have any questions about the Young Adult (20/40) Ostomates Group or Camp Horizon, please don�t hesitate to contact me. |
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| A man was hospitalized with a severe intestinal blockage. So, on his first day at the hospital, he was given fifteen separate enemas. Late that night, he heard a knock on his door. Thoroughly exhausted by his ordeal, the patient asked in a weak voice, "friend or enema". |