Our second session began with a sense of déjà vu… the arrival and settling in of new families. We drove back to camp through the tail end of a major snow storm - luckily familiar with the surroundings as all signs were covered with snow. We did however have the added anxiety of an existing crack in the windshield which began to spread from one side to the other. Adrienne was extremely nervous about that and another mental note that I needed a new car! When we finally did arrive, the camp was unfortunately completely locked up, so we had to sit in the storm for another 45 minutes. A van immediately pulled up next to us – it was a family who had driven up from Oklahoma, and spent several days getting here. This would be their daughter’s sixth session. Shortly thereafter, the camp designated cab driver (Dot) appeared with another mom/son from California (welcome to Canada!). Dot was anxious to drive back to the airport to pick up another family from Edmonton – a mom and her 4 children! When the doors did open up, it was a hussle/bussle of activity and lots of snow in the hallways. Rob was anxious to get back to Toronto, thankfully the 401 was now completely opened.
It was easy to tell apart the returning families from the newcomers and it made a big difference in settling in. Including Thomas and I, there were four families who had attended the camp previously (the other 3 having undergone 4 and 5 earlier sessions). The first difference that struck me to being amongst 3-6 year olds, was their mobility (half of them were walking independently with walkers or canes) and their ability to speak (about half again). There were nine children in total; 4 boys, all happening to be on the younger end - age four, and five girls - who all happened to be six.
This time around, Thomas and I were assigned (at our request) one of the larger rooms which happened to be at the end of the hallway, farthest away from the kitchen and the noise. Thomas and I (and Rob/Adrienne on weekends) would have to get used to sharing a room, but a good trade-off for location and noise control. By dinnertime I could tell that we had a very different group, not just because we had repeated families, but because the parents in general were much more mature and more cohesive together. I was told that our earlier session had been the worst group, so we had an immediate advantage. I sat with Robin who lives in London, Ontario and we swapped stories. She too, had her share of experiences with groups who didn’t mesh too well. While we were chatting, a dad from the outskirts of Sudbury arrived around 7:00 p.m. (there seems to be always be one token dad) with his son Alex. They had left their home at 10:30 a.m. and for him to say “this is really in the middle of nowhere” pretty much summed up the location of the camp!
Later that night, I tried unsuccessfully to use my computer and unpack while Thomas was asleep. After waking him up for the third time, I decided that if I couldn’t beat him, I may was well join him and gain a lot of extra sleep in the process. Another big difference with this group is that lights are out and bedroom doors closed between 7:30-8:00 p.m.
By 10:30, the family from Edmonton must’ve arrived because one of the boys opened our bedroom door and came inside to say hello and to play. I immediate shushed him out and locked the door. The following day, I would find Thomas’ stroller halfway down the hallway. This would be an early indication that the kids – in particular the 4 year old boy Marcelle, would be a little too invasive for everyone’s comfort level. They unfortunately became very quickly, very unpopular among the camp.
The following day we gathered for therapy and the parents went through the entire program with the conductors. Thomas was more unsettled than the previous week and I was a little worried. Kristina noted that he was not as bad as the first week of the earlier session (she always looks on the bright side). At the end of the lunch, Tunde (the leading conductor) announced that the following day parents would not participate in the class at all except to make periodic appearances during snack time and individual programming. I was surprised that this was happening so quickly and thought very ambitious, but was reminded that they’ve done this many times and I did trust their experience, I just worried about how Thomas would cope. I offered to help with Thomas’ therapy more often than twice a week but was turned down. I knew that he would have difficulty, as well, I kept me plugged in. There were a couple of other moms who had concerns and one ended up accompanying her child one more day. Crystal (from California) was especially having difficulty settling in and was having several meltdowns throughout the day. I tried to encourage her and throughout our dialogue began to wonder whether this type of therapy might be for everyone? At one point while she was commiserating about all the changes/challenges, she blurted out “and then I was getting groceries and people were trying to steer their shopping carts in the snow!!!” I knew she just had to give it more time…
The following day, Thomas let the whole camp know that he was not amused about being on his own. When he wasn’t moaning “mom” he was screaming at the top of his lungs. This carried on until 10 a.m. and was only reduced to a lower and more sporadic level after that. A few of us tried to keep a watchful eye on the classroom but our peering efforts were quickly caught on to and the doors were locked. I, in particular was scolded for talking too loud in the kitchen because it was making Thomas upset. The Hungarians run a tight ship around here!
I had to redirect myself to a whole new agenda – ME TIME, which was somewhat difficult to do. I immediately focused on settling into the new room, updating this blog (just not posting it) and doing something that is a true luxury – having a morning shower and actually washing my hair! I kept checking the time to make sure I wasn’t running late and was so surprised with how much time I had at my disposal! I found myself doing new things like having coffee with other parents, chatting with staff, planning ahead and just getting things organized. This took the entire week to get used to and many times I would find myself not knowing what to do with myself.
I decided to give the chamber a pass on the first day, it was running into the dinner hour and I wanted to get Thomas outside. Had we not just completed 40 hours, I might not have been so lenient, but I wanted him to settle into his new routine. He was not as relaxed in the chamber and this carried on throughout the week; I had to really work on keeping him entertained. By Saturday, he and another child Kiera were sick and unable to keep any food or water down so we kept him out another 3 sessions. Illness unfortunately is difficult to control in the camp - another girl Eva had come down with tonsillitis on the 2nd day and had to miss 3 days of therapy.
If there is one child that stands out in my mind in this session (besides Marcelle) it would have to be Mackenzie from Ohio. I noticed her right away being carried in by her father. A big 6 year old who also didn’t speak and have use of her hands. She was very pretty and didn’t have any of the classic facial expressions of CP that would otherwise accompany that many motor restrictions – rather, she appeared monotone with a focused gaze. I waited a few days for the information to be shared and I was shocked when I learned that she had been a victim of a drowning incident just 2 years earlier. I was suspicious when I overheard her mother speak about how precautious she was, using words like Cornocopia at age 4, so I finally enquired. Her drowning accident happened during daycare at a local Y while her mother was doing civilian work in for the US army in Baghdad. For days, I was having trouble trying to grasp how anyone could cope with the trauma of that accident, and just feeling for her and her family. They all had vivid memories of her as a healthy child and it had been taken away from her so drastically. I felt devastated for her, and while tragedies are known to us throughout media etc. it is very different to see the effects of it up close. Mackenzie would be the one that I would hope and pray for the most for some type of miracle and I kept watching her for some spark to ignite.
Thomas survived his first week of session 2, a little weary from being sick and from screaming and crying so much. From repeated exercises, he now knows his left from his right side. He is able to walk with his walker down the hall to our new room, which is approximately 140 feet from the kitchen (although sometimes he resists because he is exhausted). Speaking of which, his bedtime is now closer to 7:30. His stretching is being done both at night and first thing in the morning and his tone is becoming better and better.
Pictures of Session Two to follow…
