2008 Retreat Weekend at Victory Junction Gang Camp
Paula Lazzeri

In October 2008 the TMA held their 2nd Young Adult Retreat Weekend at Victory Junction Gang Camp in North Carolina.  Approximately 25 people attended who have TM, ADEM and NMO and ranging in age from 16 through their mid twenties.  There were family members who also attended and they came from across the United States to participate.  Some of the activities included bowling, fishing, archery, boating, horseback riding, arts and crafts, video games, and VJGC’s wonderful stage night in the theater.  We enjoyed some spectacular acts from singing to Halloween jokes to “Kazu, the Amazing Service Dog.”  For some of the campers, it was their 2nd camp experience  For many, it was their first experience at camp and the first opportunity they’ve had to meet someone else with their disorder.  All of these people began lifelong friendships during this very special weekend.   That’s what VJGC is for the TMA! 

Dr. Doug Kerr and Dr. Adam Kaplin from the TMA Medical Advisory Board were on hand for the entire weekend to educate, answer many questions, and to have fun right along side the campers.  According to Dr. Kerr, “The retreat weekend, like the two camps we did before, was amazing.  VJGC provides a wonderful opportunity for individuals with TM and their families to have fun, to get to know others who have gone through similar experiences, to feel part of a caring community and to learn from us, the health care practitioners who are trying to understand TM.  But it also invigorates me to be part of such a special community and to realize how important it is for us to keep working to develop better therapies in the future.”  Dr. Adam Kaplin adds, “These experiences, that involve the coalescing of people personally affected by TM and MS, their caregivers and care providers, are like none other....  All of the ingredients are present to create a moment that seems frozen in time that is at once unforgettable, caring and transformative....  And the lesson that there can be no rainbow without rain is as beautiful a way of characterizing the magic that is VJGC.”

Thank you to Victory Junction Gang Camp, their awesome staff and incredible volunteers, Dr. Doug Kerr, Dr. Adam Kaplin, TMA officers, and the campers and families for another memorable time!