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Breaking News
Teen Cancer Survivors Spend a Week With No Worries in Salmon - 9/15/2009 By Felicia Muriel, Post Register, Idaho Falls, Idaho  Teen years can be some of the most difficult and exciting periods in life. Friends, school, becoming an adult — those are issues everybody has to deal with as a young adult.But imagine battling cancer on top of all that. As Caleb, a 13-year-old boy from Idaho Falls who was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, can attest, it’s not easy. This summer, he and five other cancer survivors got the chance to forget about hospital visits, chemotherapy treatments and doctors at Camp Discovery in Salmon. “It’s the funnest camp I’ve ever gone to,” Caleb said. Camp Discovery is a nonprofit, six-day camp that has been holding one program for adults and another for teens for the past three years. For teens who range from 13 to 17 years old, it’s free and a little different from other cancer camps, Caleb said. At Camp Discovery, the focus is on trying new, challenging activities like kayaking, rappelling and white-water rafting. “It was awesome going over the rapids, getting knocked down, getting wet,” he said. “When my mom saw the pictures, she was glad she didn’t go. She said she might have told me not do some of the fun stuff.” All activities were supervised by experienced camp volunteers. Caleb’s doctor, Rexburg pediatric oncologist Jeff Hancock, was also there as a volunteer. “I’ve been involved in several camps. This one is unique in that it is far more like a wilderness high adventure,” Hancock said. “It’s not me with a stethoscope saying, ‘We need to get to the hospital.” Caleb, who has been in remission since July, agrees. It was a more relaxed environment than he usually shares with his doctor. “It was kinda weird — (Dr. Hancock) was having fun, not in his doctor suit, not using big words like he usually does,” Caleb said. For everyone involved, the experience was nothing but positive. “(Caleb) came back happier than I have seen him in a long time,” said his mother, Emily. “It gave him an opportunity to try something new and succeed, and have a great time while doing it.” |
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River Discovery · P.O. Box 712, Salmon, ID 83467
Physical Address: 40 Lovers Lane, Salmon, ID 83467 Phone: (208) 303-0040 · Fax: (208) 756-3708 · Email: riverdiscovery@gmail.com |
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