Dear Camp Ooch Staff,

This letter is long overdue. I was reminded of my intention to write you just this week when the Camp Oochigeas Yearbook arrived at our home. Please forgive my delayed appreciation.

My daughter, Briar, attended Camp Oochigeas again this summer and once again, had the time of her life! The fond memories and treasured friendships she has made at Oochigeas were relived as she turned the pages of the yearbook and recalled her camp experiences. How fortunate she is to have had the opportunities given to her as a result of her attendance at Camp Oochigeas.

Thank you for your ongoing work in making the camp experience so “perfect” for every camper. Even after camp is over, Briar continues to receive cards, notes, and pictures from the staff and her fellow campers that strengthen her bond with her camp friends. Throughout the year, Briar frequently talks about camp. As she read her 2002 yearbook, our telephone rang. It was one of her cabin mates from camp, equally excited with what had just arrived in the mail.

As we read your letter about the plans for relocating Camp Oochigeas, Briar spoke in a way that suggests to me that Camp Oochigeas is far more than a piece of property with buildings and a waterfront, but an organization of individuals who care dearly for each other. Her enthusiasm and commitment to “her” camp and the love and caring she spoke about between the individuals who make up the camp warmed my heart. Her excitement about the new property was evident, but her belief is that the people are what really make Camp Oochigeas such a great place.

At the end of the yearbook, we looked at the tribute to the five campers that had passed away in the last year and were reminded of how personally fortunate she is. The sharing of pain, sorrow, diagnosis, scars, recovery, challenges and dreams between campers, and facilitated by Ooch staff in such sensitive ways, is a valued part of the camp experience for these children. As close as I am to Briar, I have not had to fight cancer, and will never really know how it felt. I will never have the same lingering memories and fears she will always have tucked away in her mind. None of her friends at home know this feeling either. Thus, being able to talk and play with other Oochigeas kids who have also had to battle for their lives, is something she values so much. She has commented on this often. The Oochigeas experience is something that has made her a stronger person.

Next week marks a milestone in Briar’s life. She will have been in remission for five years. For the past five years we have celebrated her “anniversary” and cautiously set our sights on reaching her fifth anniversary. Upon her fifth, we would call her “cured”. The annual anniversary party was just another way to celebrate her precious life and allow us to move closer toward a preferred future. November 15th is a date that will forever be etched in our minds.

We will never forget her cancer, and we will never forget the part camp has played in her life over the past few years. Her experience at Camp Oochigeas is one of many significant forces in her recovery that has allowed her to reach this milestone with such a positive, courageous attitude.

Thanks to you and the individuals that make Camp Oochigeas possible. It has played an important role in Briar’s life. Briar hopes to become a counsellor at Ooch in the future and give back to other campers some of what has been so freely given to her. I sincerely hope she follows through on this goal.