Gavin is very reserved about taking his shirt off at swimming pools because of the large scars on his small torso. At summer camp, however, surrounded by hundreds of kids "just like me," Gavin can let his guard down. And he doesn't have to worry about answering any mean questions. Not a one.

"At camp, no one made fun of anyone else. No one stared."

That's because at summer camps like The Boggy Creek Gang Camp, kids with chronic illnesses can just be kids. They spend their days with kids just like themselves. Kids who have undergone operations, chemotherapy and blood transfusions. Kids that are faced with probing questions by "normal children" every day of their young lives. Kids that are well beyond their years at very young ages.

"When I had my first heart operation I was only a baby, so I don't really remember it. But my second operation was when I was almost six years old. It really hurt because I had all of these cords connected to my body. But the hardest part about the whole thing was that I wasn't allowed on the monkey bars for a whole month!"

"When I was three years old I got my hearing aides. When they're not in I don't like it very much because I don't hear so good. But when I got to camp I felt so happy that at least I could hear a little bit, because a lot of the other kids were deaf. It was silent the whole time! But I made a lot of friends and learned how to talk to them in other ways. I especially liked my new friend Johnny... he didn't even know how to speak at all! So I sort of felt like a big brother to him because I helped him figure out how to communicate. That made me feel good and happy."

"The very best thing about camp was that I got to be with other kids who are just like me. They made me feel really good because it's like we're all in the same world and we all know just how each other feels. It's a lot harder to be with kids who aren't like me because they make me feel really different. They say 'what are those' about the scars on my chest, and what I always say is 'see ya tomorrow, I'll tell ya then!' I get so tired of kids staring and asking me questions. But at camp I could just be me, I didn't even cover up my scars when I went swimming! No one made fun of anyone else. No one stared. That's because at camp, every kid has something wrong with them. Every single one of us."

"Cassi has never really been on her own before, so I was amazed that she fit right in... I was even more amazed that she didn't need me, which is something I really had to get over. It was so peaceful, though, for me to know that the camp counselors were there for the children just as we are here for Cassi at home. Just for a short time someone else was taking over, for one week of my life, I didn't have to worry."

Cassi Goodman is 12 years old and in addition to having epilepsy since she was three, she has had mild cerebral palsy since birth. For many years, Cassi has watched her older brothers go to a camp for "normal kids" and year after year she begged her mom to let her go as well. Unfortunately, as much as Diane Goodman wanted to send her daughter to experience the good old-fashioned camp that her sons were enjoying, Cassi wasn't able to participate. Most summer camps' facilities aren't equipped to host children with chronic illnesses.

"When we arrived I was so nervous." Diane told us, "I thought, is she going to be able to do this herself, will she drink her medicine, will she be able to wash her long hair, will they know if she's having a seizure? Yet from the moment Cassi got to camp, she jumped right in. Immediately, a young girl befriended her, as did all of the counselors. She took her own showers, took care of all her own things. She learned from camp that she can do so many things on her own and she gained a sense of independence that she never had before. We all feel that the transition into middle school was completely aided by her camping experience. Camp definitely developed Cassi into what she calls her 'young adulthood.' The most important thing is that the overall experience could not be duplicated because she couldn't fit in anywhere else."