Beach camps offer escape for sick kids
For some kids, a day at the beach is a simple day of fun in the sun. For others, it can be such a rare treat that it calls for getting the wetsuit on as soon as possible, even if you have to eat breakfast in it and sweat through the hot morning.
These are the children Tom Swanecamp of Miracles for Kids encounters while overseeing the surfing and paddleboarding camps hosted by the nonprofit organization, which supports families with children battling life-threatening illnesses. The activities also offer parents a break from the stress that comes with constant doctor and hospital visits.
The Miracles for Kids’ Surf and Paddle Campoffers paddleboarding, canoeing and kayaking lessons at its Dana Point location. The other main site, in Huntington Beach, is for surfing. Kids can take part in any of the classes. Camp-related activities are also held in Newport Beach and Manhattan Beach.
Friday will mark the start of this year’s surfing camp in Huntington Beach. Paddleboarding lessons were offered in Dana Point last week.
Swanecamp, a Miracles board member who has worked with the camps since 2011, said the experience has given him an eye-opening look into the struggles that families of sick kids face every day.
He said he’s met children who are skeptical that they are really going to the beach because they think it is a trick to get them to the hospital.
“One time, a little boy came up to me and asked if we were really going to the beach to surf or if this was a white lie and he was really going back to CHOC for treatment,” he said.
“It gave me the awareness that children don’t like the hospital and they don’t want to go there, but parents have to be very creative to get in the car and go to the hospital to get to a place where they’ll draw blood or stick needles in the children.”
Swanecamp recalled one boy who was so excited the morning of surf camp that he put his wetsuit on and ate breakfast in it.
“He was just sweating profusely ... because it was already hot out,” Swanecamp said.
Bridget Colby of Rancho Santa Margarita, whose 11-year-old daughter, Sophia, has hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which affects her immune system’s ability to fight infection, said the camp offers a nice break from her daughter’s medical obligations.
“With all the treatments and everything our family goes through, the kids don’t really have an opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities,” Colby said of her daughter and son, who have participated in the program since it began in 2011.
“Having this put together in a safe environment and the fact that it doesn’t put our family in a financial burden really makes it an amazing thing that my children look forward to each year.”
Swanecamp said the program, which also has canoeing and kayaking lessons at the Dana Point location, is offered free to families of children who are undergoing treatment for life-threatening diseases at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA.
When the all-volunteer nonprofit camps began in 2011, they had six to eight kids. Now, each camp boasts about 20 participants.
“When a family or child is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease or cancer, not only does that child suffer from treatment but generally the other siblings get neglected,” Swanecamp said. “I think it’s important to offer to take the siblings for the day. They can do a group activity together and it also gives parents the day off from care.”
Companies donate time and products to the camps. Billabong provides boards and wetsuits for the surfing portion, while Hobie sponsors the stand-up paddleboarding weeks. Sunscreen is donated by the John Wayne Cancer Institute.
This year, for the first time, Bracken’s Kitchen food truck, based in Fountain Valley, is offering free lunches for the children.
“When I first met Autumn [Strier, CEO of Miracles for Kids], it kind of put a whole different slant on hunger relief,” said Bill Bracken, owner of Bracken’s Kitchen, who often serves his food free to those in need.
“It’s one thing to serve families who don’t have adequate food supplies, but when you think of families who don’t have food supplies and the kids are sick, that leaves me speechless. We’re just blessed and honored to be able to help them.”
Colby said the program has given much-needed relief to her daughter, who has undergone aggressive chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants and suffered septic shock.
“This is an experience that would not have happened without Miracles for Kids,” Colby said. “They’ve made it a safe, enjoyable and amazing day. It gives us a welcome break, and it really is amazing to see our kids really enjoying things like every other child because there’s so much they’re unable to do. To have these days is just a miraculous thing and they’re just little victories.”
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Volunteer with Miracles for Kids
To volunteer at a surfing or paddleboarding day, contact Alison Fordonski at (714) 705-4541 or [email protected]. Beach parking for the day is $15.
Miracles for Kids Surf and Paddle Summer Camp schedule:
July 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., surfing at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach
July 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., surfing at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach
July 31 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., stand-up paddleboarding at Newport Aquatic Center in Newport Beach
Aug. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., surfing in Manhattan Beach
Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., stand-up paddleboarding and end-of-the-season luncheon at Baby Beach in Dana Point