CLARYVILLE, N.Y. — Camp, Care and Childhood
Autoimmune conditions such as lupus, myositis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis can affect children as well as adults. At a sleepaway camp in upstate New York, a group of young patients was given the chance to take part in classic camp activities while medical staff were on site to manage medicines and symptom flares.
One 12-year-old recently diagnosed with lupus spent an afternoon laughing on a high-ropes course as fellow campers helped hoist him into the air. 'It's really fun,' said Dylan Aristy Mota, relieved both to join this rite of childhood and to know clinicians were nearby if anything unexpected came up.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks the body instead of protecting it. Except for Type 1 diabetes, most autoimmune conditions are less common in children than in adults. When symptoms appear early in life—especially before puberty—they can be more severe, and treating growing bodies presents special challenges for clinicians.
Clinical support at camp: Montefiore partnered with Frost Valley YMCA to bring several children with autoimmune disorders to a traditional sleepaway camp. Organizers reassured parents that physicians and nurses would ensure medications were taken on schedule and would respond promptly to any flares, so parents could trust their children were safe while participating in activities.
Eleven-year-old Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, described joint pain and stiffness that makes his legs feel 'sleepy' at times. At camp, however, Ethan said he mostly forgets about his illness: 'The only time I get pain is when I'm on long walks—my legs get stiff and achy.' On other days a doctor checked his hands, and he raced across a paint-splattered lawn playing paint tag.
'Their disease impacts how they can participate and a lot of the time the parents are just very nervous to send them to a summer camp,' said Dr. Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, a pediatric rheumatologist at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. 'They blend perfectly with the other kids. You can just see them smiling, running, like any other child.'
For clinicians and families alike, the goal was simple: give children a chance to experience normal childhood joys while ensuring medical safety and prompt care. The camp experience offered important social and emotional benefits—moments of play, friendship and confidence that temporary relief from chronic illness can provide.
Neergaard reported from Washington. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
