Summer camp

Summer camp

 

The Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp is the only place where Iris Roberts truly feels accepted. “If you come here you can really fi nd a different way of dealing with all the things you’re going to go through or have been through,” said Roberts, a 15-year-old with neuromuscular disease who uses a wheelchair. The MDA summer camp is a weeklong annual event where children with varying degrees of neuromuscular disability are immersed in an environment made just for them. This year, the camp took place at Camp Suwannee in Live Oak June 9-15. For the very fi rst time, the clinical team was staffed entirely by UF Health physicians. UF Health physicians Barry Byrne, M.D., Deborah Weyer, M.D., and Nawaz Hack, M.D., were among the doctors who donated a week of their time to ensure the children had the medical attention they require. “My favorite part is the high energy here that you can only get with children,” Hack said. “It’s fun and they’re all happy and smiling. Seeing their cute faces is the best part of the camp.” — Rebecca Burton