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We are all born with certain talents and capacities. Some of us are witty, physically flexible, good with numbers, have an ear for music, have striking eye color, nice brawny immune systems. I had the privilege of spending a couple of summers working with a delightful young woman who, among her other talents, had been blessed with a Jamie Lee Curtis level Hollywood style scream when frightened.
Carly, a lovely slim brunette with an eternally generous heart and a smile which lights up entire country sides, was among the team I was lucky enough to be a part of over the two summers I spent working at a summer camp style resort up in the Muskokas run by the Canadian National Institute For The Blind.
We catered mainly to adult clientele with varying types of impairments ranging from visual to auditory to mobility or mental capacity. For two weeks in the middle of the summer, however, the Kidney Foundation would move in for something they called ‘Camp Dialysun’ bringing three dialysis machines and a flock of young teens to have a chance at ‘summer camp’ instead of spending all their time in and out of hospitals.
Going from visually impaired adults to fully sighted teenagers was always a culture shock and it was humbling to work with kids who have had to deal with so much so early…