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Camp YesICan takes place at Bay Cliff Health Camp, which is located on 170 acres of land
along Lake Superior in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Camp YesICan is
specifically designed for children with prosthetic limbs. The camp was created to help
amputees ages 4 to 17 discover and believe that "Yes I Can" do anything! Leaders in the
prosthetic field provide a week long opportunity where children can learn to use their
prosthesis more fully and to try things they might not otherwise have the chance to. Simple
things such as riding a bike, playing sports, and even sharpening a pencil are
available and waiting for the campers to try. The camp also provides an opportunity for the
children to meet new friends who have similar issues and challenges. Every child who
attends learns that with their prosthesis, there are no limits. Camp YesICan aims to build
courageous, confident and self-sufficient children who are able to lead productive lives
and believe that "Yes I Can" do anything! Camp Yes I Can started eight years ago. It was a
brainchild from an appoinment with of one my youth. One of my patients that I was at an
appointment with a physician and he said, "It would be really good to get these children all
together." And that started the ball rolling. So we wrote up a proposal. We started a joint
venture with Bay Cliff and as we were there trying to decide on a name the thought that kept
coming back to my mind was the kids were always saying, "I can't do that. I can't do that.
My leg won't let me do that." So my answer was always Yes I Can. Well, that was the brainchild
and how the name came about was yes you can do anything you want to do. Once we decided on the
name one of the activities or things that we do at Camp for the week is the children realize
that they can do anything. But if they use the word can't they get to song for their meals or
actually after their meals. As just a reminder that, "Hey, that's not a really good word to
use. It's not positive enough to encourage me to do things. Let's use the Yes I Can Attitude and
it'll get you through anything." Well some of the things they get to experience, kayaking, water
skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking, camping, fishing, horseback riding, just about any
activity that a young person would like to do. It's important for these kids to have this
opportunity to meet other kids to know they're not alone in their amputations and know they
can anything they want. They have that opportunity here to grow to be a more confident
person, learn how to use their prosthesis better and actually maybe learn what life's about.
Many of the times the kids come in very quiet, very shy unable to explain what happened to
their body part. And they leave very joyful, very confident and really just excited about life.
I can do things I didn't know I could do. They might have swung on a swing for the first time or
gone camping for the first time or sometimes it's as simple as turning a pencil sharpener and
never having had that skill or technique. Every camper, we have them come in. We talk about what
their goals are what they might want to try. We evaluate their prosthesis how it fits, how it
functions, what they like about it, what they don't like about it. Just so that we have a good
feel about what they might be able to do and make sure that we don't have any problems during
the week. If they have any broken parts, occasionally they broken feet or strap that's not
quite fixed right. So we fix those and let them get on with life and just be a kid. One
young camper came in not being able to dress herself and she was going into her teen years
and her goal was to be able to do things independently. So we worked all through Camp teaching
her how to button her shirt. Teaching here how to put on her shoes and tie her shoes, wash
her hair, brush her teeth, and at the end of Camp she went home. The following Monday I get
a phone call from her parents saying, "What did you do to my daughter. She doesn't need our
help anymore. This is awesome!" So many times we get that phone call on Monday following Camp.
I've been coming for about six or seven years. I don't really even remember like when my first
day was. It was a long time ago. I was kind of scared to come, a little bit afraid. It was not
scary at all and I loved it and there's a lot of awesome people. It's helped me become more
independent definitely, and it's helped be more confidants in myself, so. I'm going to be
senior so I'm about to graduate soon. I've always been okay at school but I think I got more
outgoing and just like school more and I became a better student, I think, because of it.
I plan on going to eastern for English and either become an editor or a teacher for like
High School or College. I love kayaking the most it's awesome it's so fun and I also like just
playing sports and seeing what I can do and stuff. I hang out with a lot of them outside of
Camp. So I just hung out with two of my friends two weeks ago, so. It's meant a lot because
like just last night we were like, it's nice to have friends that know what you're going
through and you can just have discussions and stuff so it's pretty great. I held a golf
outing from where I'm from, the St. Clair County area and for the Camp. Just to be able to
another activity or campers come. I just wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,
so to have an impact. It changed my life being here, the way they are so just the confidence they
have and how happy and excited they are to come every year so. It gives the kids a chance to be
around kids of similar disabilities and learn from each other I would say. Learn from
others that are in the same situation. Well usually in the past years I've been a camper
but I've upgraded to counselor and I've learned all the fun secrets and benefits of being a
counselor so it's really fun. I think we decided it's been going on for seven years and I was
here from the very first day. So I've got to grown with the camp as the years have gone on. Well,
I look forward to it every year. It's marked on my calendar as soon as I go home I look forward
to next year. I think it's just such a great opportunity to get together with other kids that
are just like you and to just experience. Like if you go to a regular camp you don't usually
have discussions about like about problems or what' the latest way to clean your leg or
anything like that so it has a unique fun factor to it. Ever since coming to Camp Yes I Can,
it's always helped boost your confidence just a little bit just cause being with everyone
around here, they're so comforting and just so supportive of everything and
they make sure you accomplish the goals that you set at the beginning of the week. Well, we
get up in the morning, which is always a fun feat now being a counselor now making sure
everyone gets up. And then we have flag. So we all get together and say the pledge of
allegiance to America. And then we have meals together which is where we kind of discuss things
that we're going today and things were excited for like al lot of the campers talk about
that. And day-to-day activity is different here. Like everyday we have a new activity to look
forward to. So that's really fun too. And I think the thing that makes us a little different is
that we usually we fit in physical therapy, which I don't think you'd find that at a
normal everyday camp. Everyone's goals are different. Some kids are they want to be able to make
it to the top of the rock wall or some kids goals are accepting themselves. And so the goals
range so differently. A lot of the times, I remember my goal was just to be around other kids
and to like, since I'm from the Upper peninsula of Michigan, I'm from a small town so I never
grew up with like kids running around like me. So one of my goals was to really accept
myself for it and stuff like that and to just realize I wasn't alone in the world. So
that's a really big factor that comes into play here. When I first got to Camp Yes I Can I
was by myself but it opened me up to the world and community of people with prosthetics. And
then so I got more interested in doing other things in the disabled world so that brought
me to the Extremity Games and then kind of lead me into like the skiing world and just being
more open with everything and stuff like that so I was on my High School Ski Team and then I
was accepted to go to Breckenridge to train for the Paralympics and from then I've