Posted: 6/5/2017
Annual camp lets ‘kids be kids,’ free from stares
Camping was not something Fallon Wallace enjoyed. In fact, she wrinkles her nose when talking about the two outings she experienced as a child. “The bugs, the heat, I just didn’t like it,” she said. That is until she served as a counselor at Parkland Health & Hospital System’s annual camp for children with burn injuries.
“I can’t wait to go back again. It was amazing,” said Wallace, who is an administrative resident at Parkland. “I actually cried the last day when the buses pulled out to take the kids home.”
For more than two decades, children – and adults – have eagerly anticipated the first week of June and attending Parkland’s Camp I-Thonka-Chi, which is Choctaw for “a place that makes one strong or fearless, not afraid to face life.” The camp is held at Camp John Marc near Meridian, Texas, and has hosted hundreds of children and teens since its inception and provided a place for them to interact with peers who have experienced similar circumstances.
Camp I-Thonka-Chi welcomes children ages 6 to 18, and unlike some other charity programs, it is not supported by a national organization. Children can attend for free thanks to the generous donations of Parkland employees and area donors. Camp John Marc also helps with fundraising so more children can attend. During the weeklong event campers build friendships, improve social skills and simply have fun without being self-conscious of their scars or injuries.
David Magill, RN, has been attending camp for 22 years and is a member of the camp’s executive council. The camp first piqued his interest in 1992 when he worked in the intensive care unit of Parkland’s Burn Center.
“When I first started going to camp, I saw kids who I had taken care of in the ICU where most of them were on ventilators and heavily sedated. Part of my job as a nurse in the ICU was to do wound care, which is the most painful experience anyone can go through,” Magill said, who is now an Application Systems Application Manager in Parkland’s Information Technology department. “It honestly made me wonder if I was doing these kids an injustice. Seeing some of the kids I had cared for as patients at camp the very first time, running, playing and being normal kids, answered that question for me.
“Seeing them surrounded by other kids who had gone through the same experiences, and leaving the hurtful stares that they are accustomed to at school and in public, is my most rewarding experience,” Magill added. “When you are at camp, you aren’t seen as a burn victim. You are seen and treated just like every other child.”
That’s what makes Parkland’s annual camp special, according to Donna Crump, Parkland physical therapy manager and co-founder and director of Camp I-Thonka-Chi.
“The camp is a place that campers can feel safe,” Crump said. “It’s a chance to be who they are – kids. It really is a place that warms your heart and lifts your soul.”
And turns you into a camper at heart.
“I have to admit I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, but these kids are amazing. Their smiles quickly put me at ease,” Wallace said. “Seeing the kids who were quiet and reserved on the first couple of days of camp come out of their shell and laugh during the activities, you couldn’t ask for anything better.”
And the bugs and heat?
“What’s a little heat and humidity when you’re amongst friends?” Wallace said as she smiles from ear to ear.
Established in 1962, the Parkland Burn Center is the second largest civilian burn center in the nation, providing care to more than 2,200 patients annually. Serving North Texas and surrounding areas, this comprehensive burn center is one of only 62 verified burn centers in North America and the only one in North Texas, and provides all services from emergency treatment to intensive care to rehabilitation and outpatient follow-up care.
For more information on Camp I-Thonka-Chi or to make a donation, please visit Parkland Burn Camp. For more information on services available at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhospital.com