Two-hundred and nine children had made their way to Camp Happy Days at Camp Bob Cooper near Summerton and Lake Marion by Tuesday afternoon, when the smallest children celebrated lunch with a Scooby Doo-themed party.
“We added one more Wednesday,” said programs coordinator Teresa Bishop.
It brought the total to 210 for the week, which will end Saturday. Before that time, the kids will have done everything from rock climbing and skeet shooting to a color run and water activities. On Tuesday, the youngest children enjoyed a Scooby-Doo-themed lunch with subs from Subway in Manning, owned by Amish "Jack" Jivan.
“Camp Happy Days is a chance for kids with cancer and their siblings to get away from the stress, the hospitals and, most importantly, the parents,” Bishop said. “It’s a chance to celebrate the victories throughout the year against the disease and, in some cases, remember the children who didn’t show up this year.”
Leigha Childress has been attending the camp since she was 11. The 20-year-old counselor has been in remission for seven years from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Other than a skip-year that campers who want to be counselors are required to take off between their 16th and 18th years, Childress said she has never missed camp for any reason.
"It meant a lot to me growing up, and I know it means a lot to them," Childress said. "I wouldn't miss it. It's the one week a year that all these kids don't have to worry about all the messy stuff of hospitals or treatment. How could I not come back every year?"
Check back throughout the weekend for more stories and pictures.
