Harvey Walter, 10, takes aim during archery practice.
undergoing such an intense operation. "She's mainstream in a lot of ways now, but there's still important differences that her friends don't understand," says her mother, Elliot Good. "But she comes to the camp and the kids all get it. They have the same scars, they take the same medication, they all have to frequent hospitals and doctors and get lab work." When Kaya would get home, she'd keep in touch with the friends she made at camp through email and text messages. And she'd talk about the camp all the time — so much, in fact, that the rest of her family became quite curious about it. "We couldn't picture what she was talking about," Elliot said. "That's why we felt so lucky to get in on the family weekend." Roundup River Ranch provides two specific packages: a week-long experience which is exclusive to kids with chronic and life threatening illnesses, and a weekend trip where the immediate families of those children are welcome to join. During the final family weekend of 2013, the Goods had a large cabin to themselves, complete with a huge, tile-floor bathroom and Posturepedic mattresses on the beds. For a family of six, it was perfect. "I was really surprised to see how nice and plush everything was," says Elliot.
Sibling experience
But Roundup River Ranch's family weekends do much more than merely satisfy the curiosity of parents and siblings. In fact, for many families, the sibling experience is as necessary for positive family development as that of the affected child. "When you have a sick child, you spend so much time with that one child," says Natalie Abbott, whose son, 7-year-old Grant, had to have his colon removed at a young age due to a rare gastrointestinal condition. Natalie said Grant's condition might only give him another 20 years of life. And while she and her husband, Gary, worry constantly about Grant's physical condition, another source of stress is how the psyche of their other son, 4-year-old Grayden, will be affected by his big brother's illness.
"It's just nice to come out here and know you're not the only one facing it." W I N T E R 2 014 â?… VAIL LIFESTYLE
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