It was a glorious day for surfing on Saturday, July 15, when Children’s Burn Foundation held its annual Camp Gung Ho for child burn survivors and their families at Malibu Makos Surf Club. Camp Gung Ho helps child burn survivors put aside the stress of medical procedures and have fun with other survivors. The camp emphasizes friendship, confidence building and wellness.
Mara Madsen, a spokeswoman for the foundation, says “this unique camp helps child burn survivors gain confidence and learn that their scars do not define them.”
The surf camp is geared to the whole family, which fits with the foundation’s embrace of comprehensive healing for the entire family — because burn injuries impact not only the survivors but parents, siblings and other loved ones.
Diego Landaverde was a baby when he grabbed a bowl of scalding hot soup and dropped it on himself. He suffered severe burns over 80% of his chest. His mother, Grace, talked about her painful memories in a statement released by Children’s Burn Foundation: “It was one of the worst days of my life,” she said. “Every year on the anniversary of the day that Diego was burned, I would break down in tears and remember exactly how I felt that day. But going to CBF’s support group and being able to share my feelings about the accident has helped me tremendously.”
She says the nonprofit’s programs and camps have helped Diego and others in the family to move past the trauma. His brother Dylan said CBF helped him with his self-esteem. “Before, I could not go anywhere without my mom,” Dylan said. “But now I can. I have learned to try new things — like surfing on my own!”
For more information, please contact the Children’s Burn Foundation office at (818) 907-2822 or visit www.childburn.org.
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