Growing up, it took awhile for Michelle Roy to warm up to other children in her neighborhood and school classrooms. A bilateral cleft lip and palate caused her to be shy, introverted and at times feel a little isolated.
“I didn’t have anyone to share my experiences and feelings with,” she said. “I didn’t have access to a network of kids in similar situations.”
Fortunately, that’s not the case for the many children Roy now works with as a physician assistant to pediatric plastic surgeon Dr. Laura Monson. Monson helped start Camp Keep Smiling in 2014, a camp for children with cleft lip and palate.
The camp recently wrapped up with a record-setting number of campers and incredible experiences for the patients and staff members alike. Camp Keep Smiling provides a safe, fun environment for patients between the ages of 10 and 16 to engage in meaningful social interaction and gain self-confidence. The camp, hosted by nonprofit Camp for All, offers activities like canoeing, fishing, archery, ropes courses, basketball and arts and crafts. Admission is free of charge for patients as it is supported directly by donations.
This year, 61 campers attended Camp Keep Smiling versus the 30 who attended in 2014. Monson leads the camp with other team members from the plastic surgery division. Physicians, nurses, OR staff and child life specialists serve as counselors who notice tremendous strides in the campers towards the end of the session. Oftentimes, campers have never met another child with cleft lip and palate and this gives them the opportunity to form friendships with those who are just like them.
“Children with cleft lip and palate often will have four or more surgeries throughout their lifetime to address not only appearance issues but speech and dental issues as well,” Monson said, adding that cleft lip and palate affects one out of every 700 births. “Camp Keep Smiling was created to help these children better understand their condition, meet people who are going through the same thing and help them deal with some of the difficult social interactions they might have growing up.”
Christy Hernandez, a registered nurse with Texas Children’s Outcomes and Impact Service, has been helping organize the camp since its inception and said it is amazing to watch the campers open up to one another over the weekend while participating in super fun activities.
“It’s life changing for many of them,” she said. “It’s a time when they can forget about their medical condition and just be kids.”
Roy participated in the camp for the first time this year as its counselor coordinator and saw firsthand what a great opportunity it is for children with cleft lips and palates to gain confidence in themselves, and meet and build relationships with people who look and often feel the same way they do.
“Camp Keep Smiling is a very valuable experience for these children to have,” she said. “I feel blessed to be a part of it and to let them know there’s a bright future ahead of them.”
Click here to watch ABC-13’s story about Camp Keep Smiling.
