The heat wave ravaging the Pittsburgh area recently can wreak havoc on people, especially children, dealing with asthma and other breathing-related issues. Breathe Pennsylvania, southwestern Pennsylvania’s only locally based lung health organization, is gearing up to host the 29th annual Camp Huff-n-Puff for children with asthma –enabling campers to participate in educational sessions covering self-management of their asthma.
The four-day overnight camp is designed for children between ages 8 and 13, taking place Aug. 8-11, at the Jumonville Camp and Retreat Center, Uniontown, Pa. The setting of the camp provides a peaceful, pollution-free environment in the Laurel Mountains.
Carol Ann Kuczma, camp director, Breathe Pennsylvania, said Camp Huff-n-Puff is a great way for asthmatic children to have a summer camp experience while learning lessons and techniques that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. “Breathe Pennsylvania sponsors Camp Huff-n-Puff each year as a learning experience for children with asthma that combines exciting recreational activities with valuable training on how to properly manage their asthma long after the camp is over,” she explained.
A staff of medical doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and volunteers, including counselors with asthma, will be on hand to help campers enjoy a safe, educational and fun experience. Camp Huff-n-Puff includes a total of four educational sessions – two on Thursday and two on Friday. Upon arrival, campers are taught the basics of asthma – the causes, signs and symptoms, and diagnosis. The medical staff will also inform the campers of the different types of medicines available and what types of symptoms each medicine may treat.
Campers are trained on proper inhaler usage, but are also including in sessions on calming their fears associated with the condition. While an asthma attack can be initiated by outdoor activities in the high temperatures, it can also be brought on by everyday stress as well. Through an educational session on meditation and relaxation, children learn fun deep breathing exercises that will provide a calming atmosphere, bubbles and all, in the event that they anticipate an asthma attack. Children are required to be personally monitored by a member of the medical staff at least two times a day in order to assess each child’s symptoms, providing a personalized experience unique to each child.
Some staff members were initially involved with Camp Huff-n-Puff as campers, including Ashley Kilp who is currently enrolled in medical school and has since become more involved with the camp as a counselor and a member of the medical staff. “Camp was a huge part of what sparked for me an interest in medicine,” explained Kilp. “Beyond impacting my career choice, camp changed me as a person.”
In addition to the variety of educational sessions, Saturday at Camp Huff-n-Puff is reserved for recreational activities, while testing campers on their new knowledge of asthma. One such activity is a camp site scavenger hunt, allowing campers and staff a chance to work together collaboratively. “The camp showed me that I wasn’t the only one dealing with asthma, and that my disease didn’t have to limit or define me.” Kilp reflected on one particular experience, explaining, “One year the whole camp trekked up to the summit of the mountain. It’s far, and it’s steep, and for many kids seems utterly insurmountable. But then the campers start encouraging each other, and suddenly each child finds themselves on top of the world knowing they have conquered something that once seemed impossible.”
Camp tuition is $125 for residents of Western Pennsylvania, and Breathe Pennsylvania also offers full and partial scholarships, based on financial need, that enable nearly 80 percent of campers to attend for free or at a significant cost reduction. “Our goal is to make the camp available to every child with asthma in southwestern Pennsylvania, regardless of their family’s ability to pay,” Kuczma said.
Breathe Pennsylvania, headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pa., helps people of all ages in southwestern Pennsylvania achieve and maintain optimal lung health through education, prevention, awareness and direct services. The organization, which serves a 10-county area, is dedicated to equipping residents of southwestern Pennsylvania with the knowledge and tools they need to become advocates for their own lung health.
Camp Huff-n-Puff enables campers to participate in recreational activities with valuable training on how to manage their asthma. For more information, visit www.camp.breathepa.org or call 1-800-220-1990.
For more information about registration and scholarship applications for Camp Huff-n-Puff, visit www.camp.breathepa.org or call 1-800-220-1990.
