Sunday 19 January 2014

Cleft Camp

I dont normally talk much about the fact that our youngest was born with a unilateral cleft lip & palate.  It's not that I have a problem talking about it, just that it is no longer much of an issue for us.  So this year it was interesting to hear from her that some of the new kids in her class have actually commented on her scar and for the first time she is having to talk about it.

A selfie by Bear
Bear is an amazing kid with a real matter of fact attitude and when she got the opportunity to
be a day visitor for the first ever Cleft camp run by Cleft NZ out at Camp Adair in the Hunua ranges, we lept at the chance.  The camp was for 12 - 17 year olds but the invited the 8-12 year olds for two activities and lunch on the Saturday.

The day started off with a skype call to Carmit Bachar of The Pussycat Dolls fame (dontcha wish your boyfriend was hot like me).  Carmen was born with a cleft (not that you would ever know it to look at her) and has made a successful career in the entertainment industry.  She is now using her high profile to raise awareness of cleft and is an ambassador for Operation Smile.

Carmit talked to our young people about growing up with a cleft, about bullying, and about making it big and following your dreams.  Whilst most of it went over Bear's head, I thought it was fantastic to hear from someone who has made it big despite having to overcome many obstacles in her life.  It was interesting to hear her say she never really felt like there was anything different about her until she went to school.

The Skype call was followed up by a ride on the superfox.  First Bear had to be harnessed in and climb the 13.5 metre high pole and then have the courage to jump off the platform and ride what is one of the highest flying foxes in NZ.  Now my Bear is a bit of an adrenaline junkie and a
natural climber.  She was the second person to do it in our group and I think she impressed most of the leaders and other kids  with her confidence.  Bear was the second youngest there and definitely the shortest.... And she was up the pole in a matter of seconds, hopped off when told and did the ride confidently.  Even managed to figure out the tricky bit of clipping and unclipping at the end whilst dangling in the air.

Getting strapped in a tiny platform 13.5 meters off the ground

Unclipping at the end

It was a great hour we spent with these teens and the leaders, talking about how cleft has affected them, their hopes and dreams, and watching them achieve (It was a seriously challenging thing for them to do, and there were many other activities they did as well as this one).  There was really great conversations with cleft kids, cleft adults and the families that came for the day.  Everyone had a different story to tell, was at a different stage in their journey.  After lunch,  there was an orienteering course, in which Bear and two other cleft kids ran for miles with grins on their faces, looking for letters on trees and fence posts determined to be the first back to the camp (competitive - much).

I'm a big fan of camps and putting kids in challenging situations and this was a marvellous experience in so many ways.  The next camp will probably be in 2-3 years and Bear cant wait to go again.  She hopes she will be allowed to stay for the next one.  There are so many positives to come out of this for Bear and other cleft kids.  Meeting up with others affected by the same issue as you have can help you to deal with it.

The day after the camp Bear had one of her besties over.  It was really cute to see her showing off her baby photos and talking about her surgeries and the ones she still has to have.  Her friend was really interested in how the cleft happened, how they fixed it and what they still had to do to Bear.  Awareness is being shared after just one small experience.  It really does bode well for the future - both personally for Bear, and within the whole cleft community.

It really was one of the most positive experiences I have had the priviledge of being part of.

Thanks for reading

Barbs x.


1 comment:

  1. I forgot about this camp! My boy would have loved to have gone for the day.....next time :))

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