INDIANAPOLIS — School is out in Central Indiana and many kids are heading to summer camp in the next few weeks.
But a traditional camp environment may not be a good fit for children with certain medical conditions. Camp Silver Moon in North Webster is providing a space for some of them to thrive — regardless of their health.“Sickle cell has motivated me to overcome things… I let that motive me and challenge me to push myself forward and reach for success," camper John Joseph said.“Getting the hang of things in my last year of high school. Enjoying all the memories I created," Joseph said.“I wanna help the kids around the world.
Joseph is one of the estimated 1700 Hoosiers living with sickle cell, a life-threatening condition, most commonly seen in African American, Hispanic/Latino, South Asian and Middle Eastern communities. He's limited in what physical activity he can do, so, for a long time, he thought summer camp was not in the cards for him.Campers enjoy all the traditional camp activities — canoeing, kayaking, climbing, fishing, zip lining — you name it!“There’s a lot of kids that don’t know another kid with sickle cell disease and so to be able to go to a camp and say ‘hey, you have this. I have this too. You take this medicine.