This year at camp I was back in Lick Run. I was to be a counselor for Nathan and Mark. All the years that Mark and I have been coming to camp this was the first time I was his counselor. Nathan was around 13 but was small for his age. He was in a wheel chair but he could feed himself and do other basic things. Jay was also in our cabin with Michael C and Phillip.

Nathan was a handful but he was also delightful. He never seemed to stop smiling and always seemed to be in a good mood. He loved everything we did from the challenge course to the games. As long as he was active he was happy.

There was one part of the day that Nathan did not like, medicine time. Because of his condition he had to take what would have been a lethal dose of potassium to a normal body. Jay would usually help me with the medication and one of us would hold his nose shut and the other would try to force down the medicine. We performed this routine three times a day. After we just forced the medicine down his throat you would think that he would be upset but every time when he realized he was finished he would get a big smile on his face and give a big thumbs up.

With Nathan's attitude and Mark's sense of humor I could not help but have fun. Mark and I pulled mattresses out onto the screened in porch and slept there. It was fun for Mark and a lot nicer temperature wise for me. Mark was a lot of fun and very cooperative. He was obsessed with the Grease movies and considered himself a T-Bird. If he was hesitant to cooperate you could just say "T-Bird's man" and he would jump up and come along.

Mark also continued to carry his pencils. He carried them wherever he went (none of them would ever be sharpened). This year we played Bingo for little prizes. Mark would get all excited if he won because he could get a new pencil.

Another new camper was Joanie. She was a bundle of energy in what appeared to be constant motion. When she first arrived she walked over the bridge pulling her suitcase turned and looked at all the counselors, whom she did not know, and said "Joanie is here". She was convinced that we were all sitting there just waiting for her to show up. She always talked about herself in the third person. "Joanie is hungry", "Joanie is a Princess", or her favorite "Look at Joanie". I found Joanie adorable and would try to talk to her when I had time. Her energy was contagious.

Cate was a new camper that instantly won my heart. She was 11 and had Cerebral Palsy. Her twin sister Elizabeth was staying with the other camp. Cate was very small for her age. She could move her arms slowly and with some effort and could talk but only by forcing out single syllables. When she first arrived Nathan and I sat with her as Sommer, her counselor, and her parents carried her stuff to her room. She appeared to instantly attach herself to me. Dan was hard for her to pronounce so for the rest of the camp I was "him". Whenever I saw her, her face would light up with a huge smile and she would say as loud as she could "Him!" and raise her little arms for a hug. When it was time to eat and she needed assistance she would say in a sweet little voice "Him help me." It melted my heart every time. You have really been hugged when you are hugged by arms that struggle to raise to hug you. How can you not be affected by a little voice that struggles to make a sound being used to call your name. Sommer did a wonderful job caring for Cate's many needs and I was glad she let me share in some of the fun parts. All week long I joked with Cate that I was going to pack her in my suitcase and take her home with me. When her Mother came to pick her up I jokingly mentioned that I forgot to pack something and I couldn't remember what it was. In her loudest voice Cate said "Me!".

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