'We're strong': Summer camp offers support for families dealing with cancer
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- A summer camp tradition that supports families touched by cancer was back in session Saturday.
This is the seventeenth year for Family Camp Angel.
Organizers said it's a chance for families to reconnect and find support. It's also a chance for kids to just be kids.
Maya Lopez is attending camp for the second year with her mom, Christina.
"I love that they're really welcoming, and I know that my mom wasn't the only person with cancer," Maya said.
The mother-daughter duo said camp is a chance for them to spend quality time together and talk.
"You don't want to talk about it all the time, you want to live your life, but you don't want to ignore it, and so that's really what keeps us connected here," said Christina Scalzo, Maya's mother.
Everyone at the camp has been touched by cancer. Scalzo was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and both of camp volunteer Regen Steele's parents combined have been diagnosed with various cancers five times.
"It helps me feel better to try to pass along what I've experienced," Steele said.
Family Angel Camp is put on by the Angel Foundation, a Twin Cities nonprofit that helps adults going through cancer with financial, educational and emotional support.
This year more than 100 people are attending camp, and more of half of the families are new.
"A lot of times having cancer is really difficult to talk about," said Dave Becker, the president and CEO of the Angel Foundation. "So we insert just the right amount of serious and silly throughout the day."
The one-day event provides fun traditional camp activities like arts and crafts and outdoor sports, but also balances that with opportunities to learn and build bonds with other families experiencing cancer too.
"There's plenty of healthy people here too, and we'll get through it," Scalzo said.
Scalzo is now cancer free. She and her daughter hope they can help other families stay positive in their fight while at camp.
"What do I say?" Scalzo asked her daughter. "We're strong, right?"
The Angel foundation provides adult and family programming at least once a month. Click here to learn more.
