A Helping Heart

Sixteen year-old Lauren has learned to embrace and welcome unexpected change in her life. An eight-year camp veteran, Lauren first started coming to Camp Joy with Camp Joyful Hearts, a program for children with existing heart conditions.

During a routine check-up at age two, doctors discovered Lauren has Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), essentially a hole in one’s heart between the organs various chambers. Since her diagnosis, Lauren has gone through treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the very place that referred her to Camp Joy.

Over her eight years at Camp Joy Lauren has been a camper, a Leader-In-Training (LIT) and a Counselor-In- Training (CIT). Through all of these years, Lauren has gained a new sense of happiness and responsibility: “I smile a lot more because camp gives me a great outlook. It’s allowed me to love helping kids have fun.”

After her time ends at Camp Joy this summer, she plans on transitioning to the adult cardiac unit at the University of Cincinnati Hospital and returning to camp as a Camp Joy counselor next summer. The confidence Lauren gained here at camp has prepared her for a bright future: “I used to feel like the odd one out, now I feel like I can conquer anything.” We can’t wait for her to come back next summer!