Sunrise Day Camp: a happy place for kids with cancer
Zeke, a 7-year-old, who spent 100 days in the hospital in the past year, is one of dozens of children affected by pediatric cancer who had a chance to experience life as a carefree kid at the Yes Day! Sunrise Day Camp on March 15.
The children, from all over the D.C. area, came to the event with their families at the Pozez Jewish Community Center on Little River Turnpike.
They played games outdoors, swam in the pool, made crafts, took part in drama activities, sang the camp song, and made friends.
While Zeke and his twin sister played in the pool, his mother, Mariah, said he was undergoing radiation after surgery for brain cancer. During his hospital stays, he kept up with schoolwork through homebound instruction. Yes Day! wasn’t the only good thing that happened to him this weekend; he also got a dachshund puppy.
This summer, the twins will be back at the JCC for the free six-week Sunrise Day Camp. Monthly Yes Day! events give summer camp participants and their parents a chance to stay connected throughout the year.
Sunrise Day Camp is the only camp for pediatric cancer patients that invites siblings to participate, too, says camp director Joellen Broubalow. “That allows them to experience the joy of childhood together.” And it’s good for healthier siblings who might feel neglected as their parents focus on the sick child.
The camp serves children ages three-and-a-half to 16. Kids can come for the whole six weeks or just a few days. About 100 kids attended last summer.
The camp is a collaboration of the Sunrise Association and the JCC and is funded by donations. Participants are referred by pediatric hospitals in the D.C. area.
Izzy, a 5-year-old who came to the Yes Day! event with her two older sisters, was happily stringing beads while her mom, Ann Marie, explained she was in remission after being treated for a brain tumor diagnosed when she was just eight months old.
During 2021-23, Izzy had two surgeries and 15 months of chemotherapy, said Ann Marie. “Those were some rough years.”
Niema, another mom at the Yes Day! event, was there with her 7-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son. “This is their happy place,” she said.
Her daughter, Khadija, beat cancer after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2020 and going through chemo, radiation, and surgery. During that time, Neima said, “My son felt left out at home. She was getting all the attention.”
“Sunrise has been a big help for the children, emotionally and socially,” she said. “It’s like a home for me. The children are in a safe place, a happy place. The counselors and staff are amazing, very caring.”
George Mason University student Bradley Olson, a counselor at the event and a member of the board of the local Sunrise organization, started a club at GMU to raise awareness and raise funds. The club fielded a team at SunriseWALKS, a walkathon for the day camps.
Bradley understands what the kids are going through. He was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 12. Now in remission, he underwent a bone marrow transplant and two years of chemo.
As a result of all the time in treatment and being compromised, as well as the isolation during the Covid pandemic, Bradley missed all of middle school and the first two years of high school. “I missed out on social interactions, and when I went back to school, it was like being thrown into the deep end,” he said.
“That’s what’s so special about Sunrise,” he said, “It’s a shared experience. Kids don’t feel like a pariah here.”