Hi, my name is Kelli and I am Kinsey’s mom. Kinsey is an amazing kid who unfortunately battles numerous health conditions. One of those is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which causes her to dislocate just about every joint in her body. On top of that, it affects her organs- basically anywhere there is connective tissue. The amount of pain she is in on a daily basis is off the charts. Not only does she have EDS, but she also has AMPS which is amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome. Where the pain signals in your brain are not right and things that should not cause pain cause tremendous pain. She also has EOE, psoriasis, MCAS, POTS, endometriosis and now is battling quick deterioration of her eyesight. Kinsey does not have the ability to attend school. She is on what’s called hospital homebound. She has days where just getting out of bed is too excruciating. She has to use mobility aids every day, depending on the level of pain or dislocations. If we go anywhere like the grocery store, she has to use a wheelchair. Just being mobile is hard for her.
This camp is for kids with chronic pain conditions. Most kids have at least one of the things she has. It’s the one time in her life she gets to be a kid. Everything there is adaptable and made for kids just like her. Not only does this place give her the camp experience, she also gets to meet kids LIKE HER. Being on hospital homebound, she doesn’t get to meet many kids. This gives her the opportunity to meet kids AND kids that understand her. To be able to see her smile means EVERYTHING. She struggles with confidence using her wheelchair. Being at camp That all goes away. She can have the relief of just being one of the kids. This year Kinsey is 17 and a senior. This is her LAST chance for camp. What the future looks like we don’t know and to be able for her to have one last camp kid experience would mean the world. ♥️ thank you ♥️
