‘I wasn’t the only person’: Camp for children with burn injuries to provide community for 28th year

Tanya Bolchen only knew her nurse at the camp. She was nervous to be away from family and around new people for a week.

Suffering from severe burns can be an isolating experience. But the annual Summer Camp for Burn Injured Youth in East Troy provides a unique opportunity to children — confirmation they are not alone.

“I’m so glad I went,” Bolchen said recently on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Morning Show.”

Entering its 28th year, the free camp will run from Sunday, Aug. 7 to Saturday, Aug. 13.

Bolchen has been with the camp since the beginning. She was an attendee for nine years before becoming a counselor for 19 years. She said it was amazing to be around others who understand the stress that comes with burn injuries — surgeries, missing school for appointments and having to make up assignments later.

“It was the first time that I had been around other people who, like me, had been burned,” she said. “I kept going back every year because of that support and the family that you build there and just wanting to see those people year after year. So, you grow with them and hear what’s going on in their lives.”

A video on the program’s website posted in 2020 says the camp has helped more than 1,500 burn survivors. The video includes children sharing stories of their injuries.

“I was bullied for a really long time,” one child says in the video. “It was really hard for me to realize I wasn’t the only person. So, I would say camp has impacted me in a way where I know that I can embrace my burn, and that it’s going to be OK because I have such a huge community behind me.”

Melissa Kersten has been the camp’s director since 2016. She has volunteered there since 2004. She is an advanced practice nurse practitioner at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Regional Burn Center in Milwaukee.

“Being a camp counselor is one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life,” she said.

Working in a burn center means she sees accidents and traumatic injuries. While she has never been a burn victim before, she stressed the importance of peer support.

“To watch them thrive after something so tragic and awful happening, it helps me become a better provider,” she said. “I can go back to work and say, ‘This can get better. There are people out there that have gone through something like this, and you can also get back to your life.’”

Kersten said some potential campers are hesitant, as Bolchen was years ago. But a day program is available for interested campers and their parents or guardians to get a preview of what the program has to offer.

Bolchen, this year’s activities coordinator at the camp, said people have different comfort levels, and that’s OK. Campers can go at their own pace. If they want to talk, she said, she’s there for them. If they want to sit quietly and fish, that’s an option, too.

“When they’re ready to talk about something, they’ll let you know,” she said. “Just making sure we’re present for that.”

Bolchen said hanging out with her “second family” for a week as a counselor leaves her feeling energized each year. When she was a participant, she said the camp gave her tools for her toolbox. With camp happening before school, it prepared her to share her story when she wanted — and to find the language and confidence for when she didn’t want to share.

“Your burn injury is part of who you are. It’s part of your story, and it’s a big part of your story. But it doesn’t have to be the only part of your story,” she said. “There’s so much more to go. There’s so much more to do. Just make sure you get that support that you need, so you can go and live your life and live the rest of your story.”

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Burn prevention tips

Kersten, the camp director, shared a few burn prevention tips during her interview:

• Check the temperature of your water heater.
• Turn the handle of pots and pans on the stove, so children don’t reach up and grab them.
• Be aware of children running around as you carry hot food.
• Help children pull food out of the microwave. Kersten said one of the most common burns is from kids trying to grab food and it falls on them.
• Keep children away from active grills and fireplaces. Barriers can also prevent children who trip and fall from landing in a bad spot.