The Journey is the reward

POST FALLS - Karsten Fagan of Dalton Gardens stood on the diving board Wednesday, nervously peering at the water below.

In his recent past, he was being fed via a tube as he battled cancer. Now, adorned in a blue life jacket, he leapt into the Spokane River and tried to catch a ball. He missed, but based on the cheers of the onlookers, you wouldn't know it.

Welcome to Camp Journey, where the mission is to help relieve children and families touched by cancer by providing a fun-filled place where young cancer survivors can leave their worries behind and focus on just being a kid. Besides the slate of programming it provides, the camp aspires to be a medically supervised home-away-from-home where cancer survivors can recognize they're not alone in their struggles.

Camp Journey runs two independent camps free of charge: A day camp for children aged 5-7 and a resident camp for participants aged 7-17. To be eligible for the resident camp, the child must have been diagnosed with cancer and undergone or completed therapy. Children that had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant also qualify, in addition to friends and siblings of patients afflicted with the conditions listed above.

The day camp caters exclusively to cancer survivors. State Farm's Neighborhood Assist program recently awarded the camp a $25,000 grant based on the results of a Facebook vote. The camp relies exclusively on donations from individuals, organizations and foundations to operate.

In celebration of this year's theme, "Ahoy Camp Journey," 117 campers have been treated to pirate-themed special events like an outdoor screening of the film "Hook," a scavenger treasure hunt, a dance and cruise around Lake Coeur d'Alene.

"Each year they change it and make it more and more fun," said Jakob Morris, a 10-year cancer survivor from Coeur d'Alene.

Everyday activities include swimming, beach games, arts and crafts, hiking, singing, napping, miniature golfing, fishing, archery and boating.

One thing's for sure, the activities and supportive atmosphere keep the kids coming back.

"The best part of coming here is having fun," said Micah Matlock, a 7-year-old camper from Coeur d'Alene.

Spirit Lake's Brian Harmon agrees. He said he has been attending the camp for 10 years, and he's completing his second year of the Leader-in-Training program. Participants who complete the program must take a year off before they may apply to be a camp volunteer.

"Everyone here is extremely amazing and supportive," Harmon said. "There's something for everyone."

Seth Lowman, a legally blind 17-year-old cancer survivor from Coeur d'Alene, said the activities (particularly the water trampoline launch pad) and staff make him want to keep coming back.

"The counselors are really cool," he said.

Counselors, all of whom are volunteers, will be quick to tell you the same thing about the campers.

Volunteer Riley Wedlake from Colorado said, "Honestly, the best part of this camp is the campers."

Camp Director Kari Allen agrees.

"Any volunteer will tell you that it's pretty amazing to come out here," Allen said. "They came thinking to help these kids, but actually these kids do a bazillion times more to them as far as giving us strength so that we can face anything since they're facing all this stuff."

Allen said of the 75 total volunteers, 20 new people have joined the staff this year, though many volunteers are regulars.

"We come back every year because it gets better and better," said camp counselor Bryanna Drescher of Moses Lake.

Drescher said she has spent eight years at the camp. She met fellow volunteer Preston Pinkston there, and the two are now engaged to be married.

Pinkston said, "I met some of my best friends here."

Allen said the campers have touched her on a deep level. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, she said she was less frightened because of her experience with all the camp's children.

"It made me realize what these kids go through," Allen said. "They probably gave me strength when my doctor gave me the diagnosis."