As a parent, I appreciated many things about the Madden Open Hearts Camp …
The camp teaches independence. This may be very important with this group of kids because there probably is a tendency to “coddle” them…my son does not know a single kid with a cardiac condition the camp normalizes things.
He came to realize that many of the other kids were not athletic stars too and that it is okay  this is a concern in our neck of the woods where every other boy we know (except for his brother) plays hockey.

Food is a big issue with many cardiac kids… What ever the camp did, my son gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks and has maintained it but cannot gain it at home.

He bonded extremely well with the counselors… He also really liked the kids…
I really liked the fact that there was a no nonsense attitude at the camp but yet the counselors were so caring as to “pick the raisins out of the oatmeal” or sneak cookies for bedtime snack. This made him feel very cared for.

All of the expectations placed on my son were very realistic and pleasantly challenging.I thank you so much for all that was accomplished last year and could see such a change. He is still counting the days on the calendar to next year’s camp … still has the spark in his eye whenever he speaks about the camp …

Donna
Don Mills, Ontario, Canada
Son, 9