CAMP WITH A HEART
For children with congenital cardio-related disease, Oki acts as a perfect summer refuge,
The first thing Jonathan Richardson is going to do when he gets to Camp Oki is check to see which of his buddies has arrived.
Seeing familiar faces is like coming home “and meeting new friends is the best,” says the 12-year-old who’s returning to Oki for his fifth summer of super sized fun.
Nothing could be better for Jonathan, who loves the outdoors and having a good time, just like any other healthy kid. Like so many of the others at Oki he’s seen his share of hospital rooms.
Jonathan was born without a left ventrical, a condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. It causes major problems in the flow of blood from his heart to the rest of his body. Although this congenital heart defect cannot be entirely cured, patients can undergo a series of surgeries or a heart transplant.
“I was three days old when I had open-heart surgery,” says Jonathan, adding he needed two more operations to repair his heart. Sick Kids became a second home. It was at the hospital’s Labatt Family Heart Centre that Jonathan heard about Oki and knew it was the place for him.
“I was 8 years old when I went to Oki for the first time,” says Jonathan, who’s just completed Grade 6 at Tomken Road Middle School in Mississauga. “It was the first time I’d ever gone to camp.”
Like so many first timers, he admits being nervous because he had no clue what to expect and he didn’t know a soul.
“I was very excited when I got off the bus because everyone was cheering and everyone was made to feel welcome.” It’s one of those experiences kids never forget.
At Oki, which is at Camp Oochigeas in Muskoka, Jonathan did things he’s never done before, such as canoeing, kayaking, fishing and archery. There was the over-the-top high ropes course even kids in wheelchairs could tackle.
“I was great because everyone there was the same — everyone had heart problems and they were different, but everyone was the same,” he says. “I was one of the gang.”
The new friends he’s met year after year have become old pals he looks forward to seeing each summer.
Oki is the first and only camp in Canada for kids with congenital heart disease. Oki was established in 2004 as a weekend getaway for children from the pacemaker clinic at Sick Kids. It’s grown over the years into a weeklong program with the help of doctors and nurses from the Labatt centre who are on site round the clock and ready to provide help should it be needed.
It’s a comfort to Jonathan knowing medical staff have his back. “I never worry about my health at camp,” he says. Without Oki, kids like him may not have the chance to go to a mainstream camp where they wouldn’t have the same medical attention to meet their requirements.
This year, Jonathan plans to take another shot at making some pottery. Last year’s effort broke in his suitcase on the way home. He’d like to make a piece to put in his room — a year round reminder of wonderful summer days at camp. If you have benefitted from the Fresh Air Fund or have a story to tell, email lferenc@thestar.ca.