With Your Gift We Can:

$50 Buy snacks for the treat truck.

$100 Purchase medical supplies.

$250 Support local fun for families such as horseback riding.

$500 Provide a camp opportunity to a child in the hospital.

$1,500 Send a child with cancer to camp.

Make your gift today and help remind kids with cancer that they can be strong, happy, loved, accepted.

19 year old Claira was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at 13 years old. She was an active teenage volleyball player pre-diagnosis and feared how her life would change after her cancer diagnosis. She was afraid of losing her hair and missing out on everything her friends were doing while she was getting treatment, but she was also scared of the treatment itself and how sick she would feel. She spent 4 months straight in-patient with very few visitors outside of her family because of the risk of infection. She could see all of her friends’ lives moving forward on social media and she was stuck in the hospital.

After treatment was over, Claira searched for kids’ cancer camps and discovered Camp One Step. She always enjoyed camping and being outdoors, so sleeping outside in tents at Adventure Camp sounded perfect for her. During her first experience at camp, she visited Wisconsin Dells and went ziplining for the first time. She felt accepted by the other campers and friends that she made at camp. She reflects, “Beyond the brief escape from reality, the heartfelt friendships and new experiences, there is a feeling that makes Camp One Step so special. For me, I like to think of that feeling as the deep breath I can take here that I can’t quite seem to take anywhere else.”

At camp, everyone can relate to how she feels about her cancer journey: “Camp One Step heals and nurtures the soul of a pediatric cancer patient.”

Lucas was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer at age 6. He was at his first football practice when he suffered a minor injury but after further tests, they discovered the cancer. He had surgery to remove it, and replaced a piece of bone with artificial material. After that, he endured years of chemotherapy.

The first time he attended Summer Camp he was 8 years old. His favorite activities include stand up paddleboarding, tubing, and boating – all activities he may not be able to experience without Camp. Lucas says that everytime he sees his friends at camp, it’s like no time has gone by. They just pick up right where they left off!

Lucas’ siblings were 3 and 4 when he was diagnosed. Their parents relied heavily on family and close friends to help care for all of the kids while prioritizing Lucas’s treatment. Dom and Mayghan went to Sibling Camp for the first time in 2023. They also really enjoy stand up paddleboarding! They both loved the dance party on the ferry boat, and said they wouldn’t have that opportunity without Sibling Camp.

They all feel accepted and understood.

At Camp, they all feel at home.

Eleven year-old Javi was just 9 when he was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. His parents noticed a lump on his neck that concerned them so they brought him to urgent care, who quickly sent them to the Emergency Room.

“Our world shattered. Our family was devastated.” – Javi’s Mom

A week later he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The PET scan showed that Javi was stage 4 due to the cancer being in different regions and the size of it. Javi remembers “being in the bed while they were diagnosing me. I saw my mom crying, and now it makes sense, now that I know.”

Javi’s treatment included a PICC line, two surgeries to place and remove his port, seven infusions, both at the hospital and in the clinic, and multiple tests like PET scans, when he had to prepare by drinking only water and eating protein for 36 hours leading up to the test. He missed a lot of school that year: “I had to do the school work in bed…..I missed playing and talking with my friends!”

Javi and his family attended Family Camp in the fall near Lake Geneva. Then Javi was able to go to Summer Camp and Dude Ranch Camp on his own, where he tries new activities and feels adventurous. He can’t wait to go back to Summer Camp and see his camp friends again! He said camp is like a “resort” and “loves getting ice cream at the snack shop.” He’s also really looking forward to turning 13 so he will be old enough to go to Utah Ski Camp, and try skiing.

“I try new things at camp!” – Javi

Javi’s mom is also very grateful for Camp One Step. She said “He has come back from camp and has shared that he had the opportunity to interact with other children who lived it and who knew what it was like. I’m appreciative of that for him because it is different when it is survivor to survivor.”

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving. People all over the world will choose their favorite charities to support. We hope you choose to support kids with cancer and their families by donating to Camp One Step. Help change the lives of kids with cancer and their families, and your gift will be doubled today!

With Your Gift We Can:

$50 Buy snacks for the treat truck.

$100 Purchase medical supplies.

$250 Support local fun for families such as horseback riding.

$500 Provide a camp opportunity to a child in the hospital.

$1,500 Send a child with cancer to camp.

Make your gift today and help remind kids with cancer that they can be strong, happy, loved, accepted.

A diagnosis of pediatric cancer is everything you imagine, and unfortunately, more. Amidst this overwhelming journey, finding a sense of normalcy and joy can seem impossible—and that’s where Camp One Step comes in. We provide free, year round camps and programs to kids with cancer and their families that foster joy, confidence, belonging, and life-long friendships.

With Your Gift We Can:

$50 Buy snacks for the treat truck.

$100 Purchase medical supplies.

$250 Support local fun for families such as horseback riding.

$500 Provide a camp opportunity to a child in the hospital.

$1,500 Send a child with cancer to camp.

Donate today and help change the lives of kids with cancer and their families.