Each summer, St. Louis’s Camp Crescent gives a summer camp experience to young patients of sickle-cell anemia.

“The goal of Camp Crescent is to provide a rite of passage for sickle-cell children to enjoy camp and to do it in a fashion that is safe and secure,” Michael DeBaun, a sickle-cell anemia expert and founder and director of Camp Crescent, said. “Our goal is to educate our children—our campers—about their disease so they can be empowered to provide better medical care for themselves.”

The Washington University School of Medicine partly sponsors the five-day overnight camp, held in July at Missouri’s Babler State Park, without charge to its campers.

Sherraine Griffin, a freshman and biochemistry major, attended Camp Crescent at age 11. Griffin said she admires Camp Crescent’s goals of sickle-cell disease education, as well as its value to children patients of the disease.

“It allows campers to forget about their troubles for a moment in time,” Griffin said.

According to Michael DeBaun, who also serves as professor of pediatrics at the medical school, Camp Crescent hires junior counselors with sickle-cell anemia as well. His daughter Morgan, a freshman at the University, has been involved with the camp for eight years.

“The campers have a great spirit about them, and it’s awesome to be able to help out during the summer and help brighten their day with the activities that we do,” she said.

A dual relationship exists in the camp. While Morgan DeBaun’s activities certainly affect the campers, the campers, in turn, also affect her.

“Interacting with the kids helps me get a better perspective on life because of the daily struggles that they encounter with their disease, and how they overcome their obstacles,” she said.

Medical staff members at the camp also belong to the medical school, as faculty or medical students. On average, two medical students comprise the staff, which includes one doctor, six nurses, two nurse practitioners and a social worker. The camp hosts 65 campers, junior counselors and counselors each year.

“It’s an enjoyable experience for all those involved, and it’s an opportunity to provide for others who may be less fortunate.” Michael DeBaun said.

Next summer, Griffin hopes to return to the camp as a counselor, and it is this sort of continuity that Morgan DeBaun finds encouraging to the camp staff and campers.

“It’s really great to see the kids grow from year to year and rise from campers to junior counselors to counselors. It’s like a mini family,” she said.

Michael DeBaun encourages other undergraduates to get involved as well.

“Interested students should let us know by Jan. 1 so they can be interviewed. The selected women and men undergo a formal training process to work with the kids. It’s an involved process to plan for camp,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to do.”