Going to the doctor for check ups or facing another round of chemotherapy to many of these young children is just part of the daily routine, so the opportunity to take a break, run down the slip 'n slide, or simply hang out with other kids just like them may be just what the doctor ordered.

Many of these children rarely have the opportunity to feel normal or participate in activities with other kids their age, but at camp they are the "norm". Spending an afternoon at the water park or taking the day to shop in downtown Chicago with other children who have been through similar experiences often creates natural support.

Allyce Williams began attending the summer camping programs when she was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. As a Camp Catch-A-Rainbow graduate and Young Adult Retreat attendee, she is now reaching the end of her almost 10 year summer camp journey and has created bonds with other young survivors along the way. The survivors at Young Adult Retreat tenderly call each other the "cancer kids", displaying the bonds that have been made each year.

"Camp is an experience that you share with people that have been going through the same thing you have," said Allyce. "I continue going each year because I have met great friends and it has always been a lot of fun."

During the summer camping programs, campers are able to participate in activities they normally may never have the opportunity to do, especially considering the financial burden that rests with many families facing cancer.

The restrictions of cancer can be simple things such as not being able to swim in the lake because of the risk of an infection in an IV port or not having the energy to walk across the campgrounds and opting to take a ride on a golf cart instead. But here, for once, these children do not stand out. They, like all the others at the summer camping programs, have faced cancer. Their spirits are refreshing, and you are reminded that they are just normal kids, battling the disease we are all fighting to cure.

"Next year is my last year to attend Young Adult Retreat, but I don't think I'm going to miss it because I am going to be a counselor at Camp Catch-A-Rainbow," said Allyce. "It is so easy to be involved with the summer camping programs for a very long time, regardless of your age."

For more information on the Society's summer camping programs, contact your local American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345.

Pictured: Campers take on the climbing wall during Camp Catch-A-Rainbow (above right); Young survivors enjoy Chicago during the Young Adult Retreat (above left)