Connecting through camps

Claude Damiani

Claude Damiani is President, HFACT

In 2015, HFNSW was very generous in extending to HFACT members an invitation to its family camp. Several families from Canberra attended what was a fantastic weekend away at the beautifully located NSW Sport and Recreational Centre in Sydney. There was a relaxed atmosphere, in which families felt comfortable meeting and talking to other members of the haemophilia community, and getting to know one another better.

Through these informal connections, a lot of useful information can be exchanged, and this is one of the real benefits of gatherings such as these. The camp program had a good mix of educational sessions (such as latest developments in haemophilia research/trials, infusion demonstrations, and so on) and fun activities that everyone could enjoy (the go-karts and swimming were a particular hit!). One thing that struck me was the number of kids that attended, many with bleeding disorders, but also siblings and relatives. It was great to see the kids racing around on their bikes and scooters, as all kids love to do, and it really brought home to me the fact that in this day and age, haemophilia certainly does not need to be an impediment to a fulfilling and exciting life. The only part of the weekend that didn't hold up was the weather (it poured most of the time!) but that failed to put a dampener on things.

Having fun at HFNSW camp
Photos: HFNSW

I would like to extend particular thanks to HFNSW for including HFACT in its camp. It's great to see sister organisations working in partnership; there are so many benefits that can come from widening the community and sharing our respective expertise.

HFACT will be having its family camp in April and has invited members of HFNSW to attend. We hope that many will come along and that we continue to build on this collegiate approach, to the benefit of all members of our respective communities.