Like most 11-year-old boys, Drew Dawkins and Taylor Hoops are anxious for summer vacation to begin, but for a different reason than most other kids.
Drew and Taylor are ready to get back to the Asthma Day Camp, hosted by the College of Allied Sciences at Augusta University.
“Oh, he was so excited. He was going, ‘Am I going? Am I going?’ and I said yes,” Karen Dawkins said. “He’s been waiting for this asthma camp. He was very excited.”
He is not alone.
“He is already signed up and excited. As soon as Kitty called me, I was like, ‘Well, let me get that paperwork going,’” Donna Hoops said.
Organized by Kitty Hernlen and sponsored by the W.G. Raoul Foundation, the free camp is for children between the ages of 6 and 13 with asthma.
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This camp has the usual fun activities like volleyball, hiking, swimming and games. But it also includes important, educational programs.
Each day begins with an hour of learning about asthma. Camp goers also check their breathing with a peak flow meter.
Drew and Taylor both attended in 2018 and 2019, however COVID-19 shut down the camp for two years.
Donna Hoops said there was a profound change in Taylor after attending his first camp when he was 7.
“He was excited because he wasn’t missing school; he was recognizing when he was having an asthma attack and knew what to do about it,” she said, adding Taylor learned to take his medicine every day. “So, asthma camp was hugely beneficial in him taking ownership of his own asthma.”
Karen Dawkins also noticed a change in Drew.
“He came home with a flowmeter and was explaining that to me. He learned a lot with his asthma specialist, they also teach him as well,” she said. “Mainly was the flowmeter because we never had a flowmeter before. And when he learned about the flow meter that was really good for him.”
Learning about asthma, how to recognize an attack, the importance of properly medicating themselves is a priority for the experience. But it is also about learning to have fun.
“A lot of parents are hesitant to let their kids with asthma participate in sports or go outdoors or even play outside, so the camp is designed to teach children how to manage their asthma, and at the same time, have a regular camp experience,” said Kitty Hernlen, director of the Health Services Program.
Dawkins said the education combined with fun gave her son the confidence to do something he had not done before.
“He loved the swimming. He learned how to do some swimming. I thought it was good because he was always afraid to hold his breath under the water because it’s because of your asthma,” said Dawkins. “He felt more confident, running outside, playing outside, because he has asthma.”
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Hoops said the camp helped her son to grow, to become more comfortable every day.
“For him. It literally was a life changing camp for him,” she said. “He realized he was not the only oddball because he didn’t know anybody else that had asthma. So yes, to know he was not the only person in the universe made a huge difference with him.”
Dawkins saw similar changes in her son.
“It helps the kids feel more comfortable with having asthma, makes them feel more normal. This asthma camp really brings the confidence back into kids with asthma,” she said.
This year’s camp is set for June 13-17. The deadline to register is June 1. There is transportation from AU to the Columbia County Girl Scout Camp at Camp Tanglewood as well as lunches and snacks.
For more information or to register, email Hernlen at khernlen@augusta.edu or call (706) 721-3554.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
