Burns survivors build confidence
Starting a new school can be nerve-racking for any student, and Jack Dragicevich usually has more to worry about.
But thanks to a camp for burns survivors, the 11-year-old will start intermediate feeling confident.
When Jack was 2, he climbed up some cupboard shelves to investigate a beeping microwave and ended up pulling a bowl of boiling water on to himself.
He spent seven weeks recovering in hospital and has scars down his chest and stomach as a result of the third degree burns on 11 per cent of his body. He has to get regular skin grafts as he grows.
Now 11, he was one of 21 children who attended Camp Awhi, this year on Auckland’s North Shore, a camp for children between 7 and 17 who have suffered a severe burn at some point in their lives.
This is the third time Jack has attended Camp Awhi and the North Shore boy said it was the camaraderie that kept him coming back as well as the confidence he got from the camp, which ran January 25-29.
‘‘It’s also good learning stuff about the other children . . . we learn don’t put yourself down, and just keep on going through life and be positive,’’ Jack said.
The Burns Support Group Charitable Trust organises the camp. Jack’s dad, Paul, is the president of the trust and has been since November 2016.
Paul said having the camp so close to the start of the school year was ‘‘invaluable’’.
‘‘A lot of the kids are starting new schools and it’s a really anxious time of year. It’s starting from scratch again,’’ Paul said.
‘‘It helps them start school on a positive note and be able to go to school confident.’’
He said the biggest challenge the Burns Support Group faced was getting people to join the organisation.
‘‘There’s thousands of kids that have suffered burns. We’ve got 21 here this year.’’
It is free to attend Camp Awhi and the organisation works all year to pay for every child who wants to attend. This year, the attendees have come from as far as Kaitaia and Bluff to attend the camp.
Paul said by the end of the camp, the children were inseparable and they continued to communicate all year round.
Jack loves basketball and as part of this year’s camp the children attended a training for the Breakers ANBL team. Jack was busy shooting hoops with the team.
‘‘He deals well,’’ Paul said. ‘‘He’ll run around shirtless, he’ll go swimming with classmates, he doesn’t care less. And that’s what we’re trying to get for all these children.’’
For the children who have suffered burns and aren’t at the camp, Jack has a message: ’’Why don’t you come along and join our family?’’
Go to burns.co.nz for information. – Fairfax NZ