CAMP GIVES KIDS A BREAK AILING, RECOVERING CHILDREN REVEL IN FOREST REFUGE.Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer GLENDALE - Up in the Verdugo Mountains The Verdugo Mountains are a small mountain range located just south of the western San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, Southern California, The United States of America (USA). The range is commonly known simply as the Verdugos. where birdsongs fill the air, 100 children who have survived or are coping with cancer, HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. infection and other chronic illnesses are spending a week away from home and hospital wards to have fun at Camp Max Straus. Accompanied by doctors, nurses and caregivers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a world-renowned hospital located in Los Angeles, California. History Cedars-Sinai is the result of a merger in 1961 between two major Los Angeles hospitals, Cedars of Lebanon and Mount Sinai Home for the Incurables, with Steve Broidy as , young patients from 7 to 17 years old from throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, are doing arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. , archery, horseback riding horseback riding: see equestrianism. , swimming and other recreational activities. Sponsored by Cedars-Sinai and paid for by the Amie Karen Cancer Fund, Camp Rainbow is entering its 17th year. The weeklong camp is provided free of charge to the youngsters and their siblings. Michael Washington, 12, of Los Angeles, has been coming to Camp Rainbow for the past seven years. This year, he brought along his brother, Melvin. ``There are a lot of people who had the same problems you had,'' said Michael, who underwent three years of treatment for a stomach tumor. ``You can't express your problems to other people but you can express them better here than anywhere else.'' Sidney Delaney, 18, a senior at Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood, has also been coming to the camp for seven years. This year, she graduated from camper to camp counselor. ``I made 20, 30, 40 friends a year,'' she said. ``I still keep in touch with a lot of them - not just the kids that go here, but the doctors and counselors, too.'' Delaney, who is a survivor of neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma Definition Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that usually originates either in the tissues of the adrenal gland or in the ganglia of the abdomen or in the ganglia of the nervous system. , a form of cancer affecting the nervous system, said what makes the camp special is campers can be themselves and not worry about being teased or judged because of their physical limitations. `'You are here because of your physical or mental flaws,'' she said. ``If you are not able to do anything, nobody asks why.'' At the camp, Krista Carmichael, 12, of Bakersfield, is learning how to ride a horse for the first time. ``I've made a lot of new friends,'' said Krista, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for a brain tumor Brain Tumor Definition A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Unlike other tumors, brain tumors spread by local extension and rarely metastasize (spread) outside the brain. . Children who have attended Camp Rainbow in past years and have since passed away are commemorated in a plaque installed in a garden on the camp grounds. On Monday, Camp Rainbow participants held a memorial service in front of the plaque. Dr. Carole Hurvitz, co-founder of Camp Rainbow and director of pediatric pediatric /pe·di·at·ric/ (pe?de-at´rik) pertaining to the health of children. pe·di·at·ric adj. Of or relating to pediatrics. oncology and hematology at Cedars-Sinai, found the camp also beneficial for her staff. ``It's nice to get away from the hospital setting. The staff know the children much better. They have a much better relationship with the children.'' ``At night, the children really talk about what it is like to have the diseases and how they cope,'' she said. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Camper Juan Castanon, 7, aims an arrow during archery practice at Camp Rainbow for children coping or recovering from chronic illnesses. (2) Camp counselor John Hamer, center, laughs with Trashawn Cooley, left, and Juan Mariscol at Camp Rainbow in the Verdugo Mountains. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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