Eighth grade Blendon Middle School student Da’Mon May spent a week this past summer vacationing at a ranch in Estes Park, Colorado, where he learned horseback riding, rock climbing, riflery, and archery. He also got to work on art projects and spent three days on an out-camping excursion. And if that’s not cool enough, he was featured in a story on KUSA, Channel 9 news by photojournalist Bryan Wendland.
May was one of 75 youngsters from across the country (along with two from Russia) who attended the decades-old Cheley Children’s Hospital Burn Camp, which is fully funded through donations. There, he was among other children who undergone similar trauma and there, he learned that his injury need not define him.
Director Trudy Boulter said her goal is to make sure that kids at the camp can be whomever they want. “Their story does not have to begin or end because they had a burn injury,” she said. “This is just a part of their life.”