A Week of Hope and Healing: Our Camps Featured on ABC15
Sometimes the most powerful healing doesn’t happen in a hospital or inside a doctor’s office. It happens under the tall pines of a summer camp, where laughter echoes louder than fear, and kids who’ve faced unthinkable battles get to just be kids again. That’s the heart of Camp Sunrise and Camp Sidekicks, and recently ABC15’s Nick Ciletti captured that magic in a story that touched us all.
For over 40 years, Camp Sunrise has given children impacted by cancer a place where they can belong. And in 1988, Camp Sidekicks was born so siblings could stand right beside them, seen, valued, and celebrated. These camps aren’t just about campfires and crafts. They’re about restoring joy in children who have carried burdens far too heavy for their age. They’re about showing siblings that their stories matter too. They’re about rewriting memories , from hospitals and treatments to laughter, pranks, and friendships that last a lifetime.
One camper, Tristan, is just 12 years old, but he’s already lived through years of leukemia treatments. Today, he doesn’t talk about the hospital stays. He talks about jello fights, about friends who understand without explanation, and about how he can’t wait to come back next summer. His sister Kylie, once a camper herself, now returns as a counselor, proving that camp doesn’t just change lives for a week, it plants roots that grow for years.
Rebecca Determan, our Assistant Camp Director, said it best: “Cancer sucks. We have that on a t-shirt. But camp heals a part of that.” And that’s what this is all about, healing parts of kids that medicine can’t always reach. Because healing doesn’t always come in prescriptions. Sometimes, it comes in laughter. Sometimes, it comes in belonging. Sometimes, it comes in sitting by a campfire with people who just get it.
Even for Nick Ciletti, this story was personal. As a cancer survivor himself, standing in the middle of camp wasn’t just about reporting a story, it was about remembering his own. It was about connection. It was about honoring resilience.
We’re grateful to ABC15 for shining a light on our mission. But even more, we’re grateful for the kids, the siblings, the families, the volunteers, and the donors who make camp possible. The campfire may burn out after a week, but the hope and healing it sparks live on forever in the lives of the children we serve.
👉 Check out the full ABC15 story here: Arizona Camp Offers Week of Hope and Healing
