Swan Valley Idaho

Camp Helps Kids Escape Cancer

SWAN VALLEY, Idaho -- Kids with cancer. It's heart-breaking to think about, but a reality for many.

One eastern Idaho couple and dozens of volunteers are in their seventh year of giving those kids an escape.

Nine-year-old Kendall played a game of soccer-tennis on Tuesday morning just one of the many activities he's enjoyed much more in his second year at Camp Magical Moments.

"Last year I was bald cause I was still in treatment," Kendall said.

Now he's cancer free, but at the Swan Valley camp for children with cancer, Kendall said he's never been alone. Each and every one of the 25 campers has or has had the disease.

"They just have all sorts of cancers," said Kendall.

Camp Magical Moments is run by founder Ann Walsh and her husband. The couple, along with more than 40 volunteers from around the country, put on the free, weeklong getaway.

"They don't have to go to the hospital. (They) don't have nasty tubes and shots everyday. It's an escape," said Missy, a former camper turned volunteer.

Missy said for the most part, talk of illness is replaced with things like horseback riding and rock climbing.

"Mostly just being together and having some fun," said 9-year-old Thomas.

Plus dancing, costumes and teams like the darling duchesses for this year's medieval theme.

In the art barn kids paint rocks to place in the Garden of Angels, a memorial for campers who have lost their battle.

"We had someone die the past year from last year," said Kendall.

"That was pretty emotional on all of us," said Walsh.

A celebration of life ceremony will honor that little girl and others before her later this week. It's a tradition that helps the kids keep fighting the fight.

"Because if we don't celebrate, we lose hope of them and we hope they stay better up there than they used to be down here," said Thomas.

Last February, Walsh organized an event for siblings of kids with cancer. In October, she'll host the first ever weekend getaway for moms.

The camp runs through Saturday.

Walsh says she plans to hold the event every year for the rest of her life.

Go Caryn: Swan Valley, Idaho Area - between Idaho Falls and ...

If you continue down Hwy 26, you will find the beautiful Fall Creek Falls that is running very high this Spring. Then you will need to stop at the Swan Valley Commissary for one of their famous square ice cream cones. Turn left at this little store to go over the Teton Pass on your way to Jackson, Wyoming. About one mile past the store on that highway, you will see the gorgeous reflection in a pond to your right. There are plenty of photo opps all along your drive over the pass. Have a nice drive! I used my trusty Nikon D7000 with the sharp Nikon 18-200mm that came with it (Costco's kit was $250 off and included goodies like a bag, SD card, DVD, book, etc. for free.) To reduce the post-production time, I turn up the sharpness and saturation in camera, when I shoot landscapes. This way many shots come out almost perfect right out of the camera. Then I do a one-minute check in camera raw to tweak the clarity, temperature or run an occasional adjustment brush to add a highlight. On the Falls and the first two cellar shots, I bracketed the shots to get six different exposures. Then I used Photomatix to merge them for optimal exposure. If you continue down Hwy 26, you will find the beautiful Fall Creek Falls that is running very high this Spring. Then you will need to stop at the Swan Valley Commissary for one of their famous square ice cream cones. Turn left at this little store to go over the Teton Pass on your way to Jackson, Wyoming. About one mile past the store on that highway, you will see the gorgeous reflection in a pond to your right. There are plenty of photo opps all along your drive over the pass. Have a nice drive! I used my trusty Nikon D7000 with the sharp Nikon 18-200mm that came with it (Costco's kit was $250 off and included goodies like a bag, SD card, DVD, book, etc. for free.) To reduce the post-production time, I turn up the sharpness and saturation in camera, when I shoot landscapes. This way many shots come out almost perfect right out of the camera. Then I do a one-minute check in camera raw to tweak the clarity, temperature or run an occasional adjustment brush to add a highlight. On the Falls and the first two cellar shots, I bracketed the shots to get six different exposures. Then I used Photomatix to merge them for optimal exposure. Photography and graphic design are some of my favorite distractions in life, so teaching what I love, couldn't be any better.

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