You might have noticed a new blog on my sidebar, called
Kathryn Panda Bradley. It is a blog about someone I met at Camp Goodtimes West. Everyone on staff has a Camp Name, and that is how they are known by all of the campers and other staff.
Panda is the Camp Goodtimes name of Kathryn Bradley.
 |
| Photo of Panda by Paul Dudley Photography |
She had cancer when she was young, so she first attended Camp Goodtimes as a camper when she was a child. Later, she became a staff member, along with her brother, who is known to all as
Loop.
I don't know either Panda or Loop very closely, but I know them from the various times I've volunteered at camp or on Da Boata (by the way, my Camp name is
Truffle). Both of them are warm, friendly, humorous, open, kind and likely to be dressed very crazily, as is normal for camp. I recall a brief but meaningful conversation I had with Panda one day last summer.
Panda had a recurrence of cancer, and she has been in treatment. Recently, she moved home on hospice care. My heart has been with her family, as we have walked the hospice path with our own daughter. I just received word that Panda passed away this morning.
Why am I telling you this? Because it made me realize anew that the impact of Camp Goodtimes goes beyond what I understood when our children attended in the summer of 2007. It is much more than a week of fun and craziness which helps children who have cancer (and their siblings) realize what cancer cannot take from them...it goes far beyond that. Camp creates an extended family of people who really and truly care about each camper and staff member, forever. Not just for fun, but in sickness and in health, in remission and in relapse, until death and afterward. I know this, because I have felt this love and caring directed toward our family when Katie died, and I have seen it come alongside other children and their families when they are dying. It's not just about the Goodtimes - though there are plenty of those. It's about caring for people who touch your life briefly, yet touch your heart for all time.
 |
| Katie and friends at Camp Goodtimes, 2007 |
It may be part of the reason why Katie asked us to scatter her ashes there.
To Panda and her family, to Codi and her family, to Gloria and her family, to every Camp Goodtimes camper, staffer and his/her family: you will always be loved and remembered by your Camp Goodtimes family. I am so thankful that we joined that family in June of 2007! Though it means suffering grief alongside other families (like ours) when a staffer or camper passes away, it also means that no one has to suffer alone...and that is worth it. It is also a reason for gratitude, and a good reason to support this camp.
 |
| Katie at Camp Goodtimes, 2007 |
Whether you are a fan of the American Cancer Society or not, giving directly to Camp Goodtimes is more than a good investment; it is a gift that lasts forever in the hearts of children and their families. It creates community, and opportunity for love and happiness when people need it the most. Please consider supporting Camp Goodtimes West - visit
this website to find out how you can do it.
And to Panda, Loop and family: I send love and prayers for comfort in your hearts.
.jpg)
