This week, more than 150 local children are at summer camp at Lake Lure.
The campers are all from the Charlotte area and have another thing in common: They have or have had cancer.
The campers shared hugs and laughs at Charlotte Catholic High School as they prepared to head out.
“I think it's fun because you get to go and hang out with friends,” Alexandra Chaney said.
This is Alexandra’s sixth year at Camp CARE, which stands for “Cancer Ain't Really the End."
And it's true for Alexandra. She was diagnosed with cancer of the nervous system in 2004. She relapsed twice but today, she's doing great.
“It's just really fun because you don't have to worry about that stuff,” she said. “You don't have to focus on it, you get to focus on having fun.”
Alexandra's mother, Kelly, always looks forward to this week because it's a chance for her daughter to just be normal.
“It gives her a chance to get away from the doctors,” Kelly Chaney said. “Nothing against the doctors, the hospital, the treatment, the scheduling -- it just gives them a chance to be a kid."
The nonprofit Camp CARE provides a five-day stay at Lake Lure for children of all ages. The kids get to enjoy the outdoors at no cost to the families, and they can bring a sibling, too.
This year, 165 kids are going to camp, along with several counselors, many of whom are also cancer survivors.
“It's just one big family, and everyone cares about each other greatly,” said Mike Moore, who has been volunteering at Camp CARE for 25 years.
As a cancer survivor, Moore knows what the kids are going through.
“They've seen my scars, and they've said, ‘Whoa, you used to have cancer?’” he said. “And it was surprising, and it was good for them to see someone who’s been through what they've been through and is now growing up and has become a counselor.”
For more information about Camp CARE, click here.
Copyright 2011 by WSOCTV.com. All rights reserved.