Brainy Camps and Camp Headstrong are Back This Year!
By Jacob Walters
Camp Head Strong, the summer camp for children and teens living with hydrocephalus, is back this summer! Camp’s mission is to help campers form friendships, become responsible leaders, and develop independence and self-reliance.
Camp Head Strong was developed by Brainy Camps of Children’s National in conjunction with the Hydrocephalus Association. Brainy Camps are a series of one-week sleepaway camps for children with chronic medical conditions.
The one-week session of Camp Head Strong costs $825. Brainy Camps also offers scholarships and refunds for families who cannot cover the registration cost. Below are dates and a link to a typical day at camp.
Jacob (pictured 2nd from the L) at a previous Camp Head Strong
Camp Headstrong Dates: June 21-25, 2022
A Day at Camp:
(Click here for more info)
Campers can choose from a variety of activities including yoga, basketball, magic, crafts, soccer and more! Campers will also have the chance to talk about their worries, fears, and reflections in support groups. Educational sessions led by medical experts will be offered to teach campers about their conditions. Every day will end with a camp-wide activity like a talent show, “campfire”, or dance party!
This will be my sixth summer as a Brainy Camps and Head Strong counselor. I still have a vivid memory of my first day. We played a camper-counselor kickball game to kick off the week. It was a typical sleepaway camp atmosphere with shining sun and hyper-enthusiastic counselors. But what I remember most is three campers out in left-field bonding over brain surgeries and headaches. That is when I realized Camp Head Strong was a special place. It is a place where kids can talk openly about hydrocephalus. It is a place where no one is afraid to show off their scars. A place where everyone “just gets it”.
Now more than ever, kids need to feel part of this #HydroStrong community and I can’t wait to be a part of it again!