Hello All,
quick update. Alan, Isaac and I are away on holidays in Kangeroo Island as of tomorrow. We have someone living at our house for the time we are away! Thanks for looking after the house, Chris! And the cats! We are away about 6 days. So if anyone is wondering where I am...that is where we are.
Please, if you have not seen the BIG update about FA Australia Camp below, read it! It was great.
Love Charisse
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Fanconi Anaemia Australia Camp!
What a camp! It was GREAT! We had about 25 people attend our first ever, Fanconi Anaemia Australia Camp! The first camp was such a great success and it was great to meet other families within Australia that are affected by Fanconi Anaemia. It is a shame that there were many families who were not able to make it this year. I am sure that people were unsure about how camp would be but now that we have had the first one we can reassure others who may be interested that they will enjoy it....and the families who came will be able to give a great report. I know, from speaking with them, that they all want to come back next year and asked if this would be a regular event. We are aiming to do an FA Australia Camp once a year. There were 2 families I had never met before who came and it was great to meet them. We were a small group this year but one must start small before growing bigger. We had 4 FA children attend and 2 FA adults. Of course add there family and siblings to it and support people and we had our 25 plus our volunteers and camp co-ordinators. This update is rather long because of all the photos I have up loaded. I just could not wait to put pictures here for you all to see....so the page is pretty loaded. Edmund Rice Camps put the camp program on for us just like Camp Sunshine does in the States. We had a whole lot of fun. We had one session called "FA 101" and that was an excellent session. It was not threatening and was held in the parent room where Dr Tom Revesz came from the Women's and Children's Hospital to talk to us a bit about FA and answer any questions that people had. He is the head of Haematology/Oncology at the hospital. It was great because we were able to have a good discussion about issues we were concerned about and those who were support people and had never heard anything from a doctor were able to listen to exactly how complicated FA really is. We had a "laughter workshop" which was supposed to be us being taught how to laugh and doing laughter exercise. It is supposed to be hilarious but the guy got confused and gave us a stress management lecture which was good in content but he was an interesting guy.
We had a chef come in and show the parents how to garnish food while the kids were involved in their program. We had canoeing and boulder wall climbing and swimming and all sorts.
One activity was to make "affirmation bags" for each person. We all made our own, including the adults. Throughout the whole camp, when you had time, you were supposed to write something down on a piece of paper which would affirm or lift someone else up and put it in their bag. At the end of camp, a week later, the bags will be sent to each person and they can open it up and read what wonderful things people had said about them. The kids made a treasure box and each thing that was done during camp was put in those boxes for them to take home as "memories". Each volunteer assigned to a child made a pot plant pot and decorated it with paints and gave it to their child at the end of camp as a gift with special flowers.....plus they got like a show bag at the end of camp with special stuff in it. We had the amazing race which was obstacle courses for the kids but the parents could do it with them as well. Here are some photos of everything.
Below is my sister and I in the parent room. This room was for respite for the parents and adults and the kids were not allowed in this room, nor the volunteers.......
My sister-in-law to be and myself being silly.....
This is out of order but at the end of camp, on the last day, each member of camp was given an award for something nice about them....every single adult and child. It was so uplifting......
This is our room.....Isaac going to sleep after a very BUSY day at camp......
A photo of the group. I think I was resting at this time.......I will try and name them in another photo......
Mum and dad and myself......
Hehehehehe.....this is part of the Talent Night. This was a hilarious skit.....hee. The sleeping bag on the floor has people under it and they are a big snake and this is the snake keeper and he was feeding the snake and the snake would throw things out the other side as it ate. It was funny....like he would crawl in and get eaten and someone would throw his empty clothes out the other side like he had been eaten. People were REALLY laughing. It is so hard to explain.
Hmmmmmmm......Alan was the presenter at the Talent Night and kept dressing up in these funny wigs and doing a Southern Drawl!!!
Jordan and Darren (Alan's cousin and brother) dressed up for their Talent as the Circus Master auditioning someone wanting to be in the circus....it was funny.
You cannot see the kids all that wel but this was Ray (FA child) and Nathan (FA Adult's child) doing a skit.....teaching the tiger tricks!
The audience...some of them......
My family singing "in the Jungle the Lion Sleeps tonight"....Liesl (sis), Tim, Eliana, mum, Isaac and Myself.
Janet (FA Adult) and her son, Josh doing karaoke. Go Janet!!!!!
Alan, Isaac and my Talent. We were trains and had been chuffing around, singing the Thomas song and we had our numbers on. We're 2, we're 4, we're 6, we're 8!!!!
Alan is pyscho! He was Leading the talent night and had taken off his wig. It was on a stick and the hair dresser had told him it was alive and it was chasing him around and he was proclaiming his horror in a Southern Drawl.....hehe
Liesl, Eliana and Tim doing their Talent....a medley of children's songs. Yes, Eliana did sing and she is so cute. Liesl is my sister and Eliana my niece...Tim....brother in law.
Haha....Brooke, Helen, Ray and Jasper and I think Adam and Karen....can't see them in the photo....are doing their skit..."the bus stop"
Sitting at the bus stop
Alan in a crazy wig!
The story of Eddie Rice....these guys are acting it out in a play......
Still acting and Alan is a pyscho as per usual!
A chef came and showed us adults how to garnish food. Janet (FA adult who will be 40 next year!) loves cooking and had ago at garnishing all this fruit....check out the photos!
Janet, Brooke and Denise (my mum in law) all having a go at the garnishing!
Isn't it pretty?
This is Helen and I. Helen is such a beautiful person. Her son, Ray, has FA and is only 6 years old. He has already had a transplant. If you are reading this Helen, I miss you heaps and am so blessed to have met you. Thank you for letting me post your pictures!
Brooke, Jasper's mum whom you have all met at Camp Sunshine, Helen and myself and a volunteer...he was camp co-ordinator and did extremely well.
Liesl, Tim and my dad.
All of these pictures were taken out at the Bon fire on the Saturday night. We cooked marsh mellows over the huge fire an ate them. It was fun.....this is Darren and Angela.
Brooke and Helen really got along well!
At the Bon Fire!
Doesn't it look pretty! And Hot!!!!
Pool fun! This is Pua, Isaac's volunteer, Isaac and I!
Adam has FA and is 8. He had a transplant recently.....but was well enough to be at camp obviously! This is him with his volunteer!
Ray with his volunteer!
Canoeing! It was fun. I think this photo of Isaac is cute.
This was hard work, We each had an adult in each canoe with a child in the middle!
Can you see how Alan, Pua and Isaac's boat is WAY down in the water????? Alan kept letting water in the boat when they tipped sideways...he was much heavier than Tim, my brother-in-law, and I and Jasper in OUR boat. We were champions!
A great photo of Alan, Jordan (cousin) and Isaac ready to get in the canoe
Boulder Wall climbing...look like fun? I like this picture
Liesl and Tim having a go!
Isaac even had a go!
I pretended. I was SO exhausted from the canoeing and just didn't think my arms could do it so I posed! Ha..the canoeing was tough work. There were small rapids and we went agains the current some of the time. I think my swimming paid off by giving me some muscles in my arms!
Janet (FA) was real good at the boulder wall climbing!
Ray and Jasper both had a go!
Jasper....
Some pictures of the FA parents! Brooke, mum and dad
FA adults, Janet and myself
Mum's of FA children: Wilma (my mum), Brooke, Helen (Ray's mum) and Karen (Adam's mum)
FA adult couples: William and Janet (FA), Alan and Charisse (FA)
Alan and myself
Janet and William, her husband
Janet's children: Josh and Nathan
FA kids and adult: Charisse and Janet at the top and Adam, Ray and Jasper at the bottom
FA children: Adam, Ray and Jasper
The Group Photo with Banner that Says, "Eddie Rice Camp, Fanconin Anaemia". This is all the volunteers and all the FA adults and children and support people. Unfortunately there was one family of 6 who were only able to make it on the Sunday. They had one FA child in their family and we did not take any photos.....I can't believe we did not. This was the last day and they had already left which was such a shame. So there were 6 more people at camp on the Sunday.
We had a chef come in and show the parents how to garnish food while the kids were involved in their program. We had canoeing and boulder wall climbing and swimming and all sorts.
One activity was to make "affirmation bags" for each person. We all made our own, including the adults. Throughout the whole camp, when you had time, you were supposed to write something down on a piece of paper which would affirm or lift someone else up and put it in their bag. At the end of camp, a week later, the bags will be sent to each person and they can open it up and read what wonderful things people had said about them. The kids made a treasure box and each thing that was done during camp was put in those boxes for them to take home as "memories". Each volunteer assigned to a child made a pot plant pot and decorated it with paints and gave it to their child at the end of camp as a gift with special flowers.....plus they got like a show bag at the end of camp with special stuff in it. We had the amazing race which was obstacle courses for the kids but the parents could do it with them as well. Here are some photos of everything.
Below is my sister and I in the parent room. This room was for respite for the parents and adults and the kids were not allowed in this room, nor the volunteers.......
My sister-in-law to be and myself being silly.....
This is out of order but at the end of camp, on the last day, each member of camp was given an award for something nice about them....every single adult and child. It was so uplifting......
This is our room.....Isaac going to sleep after a very BUSY day at camp......
A photo of the group. I think I was resting at this time.......I will try and name them in another photo......
Mum and dad and myself......
Hehehehehe.....this is part of the Talent Night. This was a hilarious skit.....hee. The sleeping bag on the floor has people under it and they are a big snake and this is the snake keeper and he was feeding the snake and the snake would throw things out the other side as it ate. It was funny....like he would crawl in and get eaten and someone would throw his empty clothes out the other side like he had been eaten. People were REALLY laughing. It is so hard to explain.
Hmmmmmmm......Alan was the presenter at the Talent Night and kept dressing up in these funny wigs and doing a Southern Drawl!!!
Jordan and Darren (Alan's cousin and brother) dressed up for their Talent as the Circus Master auditioning someone wanting to be in the circus....it was funny.
You cannot see the kids all that wel but this was Ray (FA child) and Nathan (FA Adult's child) doing a skit.....teaching the tiger tricks!
The audience...some of them......
My family singing "in the Jungle the Lion Sleeps tonight"....Liesl (sis), Tim, Eliana, mum, Isaac and Myself.
Janet (FA Adult) and her son, Josh doing karaoke. Go Janet!!!!!
Alan, Isaac and my Talent. We were trains and had been chuffing around, singing the Thomas song and we had our numbers on. We're 2, we're 4, we're 6, we're 8!!!!
Alan is pyscho! He was Leading the talent night and had taken off his wig. It was on a stick and the hair dresser had told him it was alive and it was chasing him around and he was proclaiming his horror in a Southern Drawl.....hehe
Liesl, Eliana and Tim doing their Talent....a medley of children's songs. Yes, Eliana did sing and she is so cute. Liesl is my sister and Eliana my niece...Tim....brother in law.
Haha....Brooke, Helen, Ray and Jasper and I think Adam and Karen....can't see them in the photo....are doing their skit..."the bus stop"
Sitting at the bus stop
Alan in a crazy wig!
The story of Eddie Rice....these guys are acting it out in a play......
Still acting and Alan is a pyscho as per usual!
A chef came and showed us adults how to garnish food. Janet (FA adult who will be 40 next year!) loves cooking and had ago at garnishing all this fruit....check out the photos!
Janet, Brooke and Denise (my mum in law) all having a go at the garnishing!
Isn't it pretty?
This is Helen and I. Helen is such a beautiful person. Her son, Ray, has FA and is only 6 years old. He has already had a transplant. If you are reading this Helen, I miss you heaps and am so blessed to have met you. Thank you for letting me post your pictures!
Brooke, Jasper's mum whom you have all met at Camp Sunshine, Helen and myself and a volunteer...he was camp co-ordinator and did extremely well.
Liesl, Tim and my dad.
All of these pictures were taken out at the Bon fire on the Saturday night. We cooked marsh mellows over the huge fire an ate them. It was fun.....this is Darren and Angela.
Brooke and Helen really got along well!
At the Bon Fire!
Doesn't it look pretty! And Hot!!!!
Pool fun! This is Pua, Isaac's volunteer, Isaac and I!
Adam has FA and is 8. He had a transplant recently.....but was well enough to be at camp obviously! This is him with his volunteer!
Ray with his volunteer!
Canoeing! It was fun. I think this photo of Isaac is cute.
This was hard work, We each had an adult in each canoe with a child in the middle!
Can you see how Alan, Pua and Isaac's boat is WAY down in the water????? Alan kept letting water in the boat when they tipped sideways...he was much heavier than Tim, my brother-in-law, and I and Jasper in OUR boat. We were champions!
A great photo of Alan, Jordan (cousin) and Isaac ready to get in the canoe
Boulder Wall climbing...look like fun? I like this picture
Liesl and Tim having a go!
Isaac even had a go!
I pretended. I was SO exhausted from the canoeing and just didn't think my arms could do it so I posed! Ha..the canoeing was tough work. There were small rapids and we went agains the current some of the time. I think my swimming paid off by giving me some muscles in my arms!
Janet (FA) was real good at the boulder wall climbing!
Ray and Jasper both had a go!
Jasper....
Some pictures of the FA parents! Brooke, mum and dad
FA adults, Janet and myself
Mum's of FA children: Wilma (my mum), Brooke, Helen (Ray's mum) and Karen (Adam's mum)
FA adult couples: William and Janet (FA), Alan and Charisse (FA)
Alan and myself
Janet and William, her husband
Janet's children: Josh and Nathan
FA children: Adam, Ray and Jasper
My child: Isaac
FA kids and adult: Charisse and Janet at the top and Adam, Ray and Jasper at the bottom
FA children: Adam, Ray and Jasper
The Group Photo with Banner that Says, "Eddie Rice Camp, Fanconin Anaemia". This is all the volunteers and all the FA adults and children and support people. Unfortunately there was one family of 6 who were only able to make it on the Sunday. They had one FA child in their family and we did not take any photos.....I can't believe we did not. This was the last day and they had already left which was such a shame. So there were 6 more people at camp on the Sunday.
Each night we did Candle light sharing. We held a candle on our laps in a circle and in the dark and what we had to do was...the person who held the candle had to pick someone in the circle and say something really nice about that person or what they were grateful for that day or about that person and then hand the candle on to that person who would do the same. It was emotional and very heart warming and we learnt a lot about one another and bonded heaps.
So it is late and that was a huge entry to write. If there is any more to write I will do it in another entry.
Camp was beyond words, wonderful. A great experience. Heart warming and emotional and I miss everyone already and I can't wait to see everyone again next year for our second camp.
Please write in the guestbook. This is such an exciting entry for me.....such an exciting moment!
I better go to bed!
Love you all,
Charisse
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