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The
first year, Kelly was a typical mother sending her child to camp… She
was nervous about how well her daughter would survive away from home
for a week.
 After
coming back from her first week of camp, Angel was the typical child… She
was brimming with stories, songs and challenges, and counting the days
till she could return the next year.
Thanks to
a YMCA scholarship Angel got her dream fulfilled, returning for the
next three years, growing in confidence and independence and taking
on the new dream of returning as a counselor.
But last
summer wasn’t typical. Angel’s mom was diagnosed with a
tumor on her brain stem. When it was time to decide if Angel would
go to YMCA camp, her mom had been in the hospital for a month and had
gone through 18 hours of surgery. Kelly made the final decision: Angel
needed a break to have fun, and the YMCA staff that she had grown so
close to over three years would be able to help her if problems arose.
When Angel
came home from camp, she rode to the hospital and sat on her mother’s
bed. Together mother and daughter laughed and talked for hours as Angel
shared everything she did and how much fun she had. “It
was a special time for them and Angel talks about it all the time,” said
Angel’s grandmother, Linda King.
On September
4th, just a week after she came home from camp, Kelly passed away. “The
picture of Angel and Kelly together during her last days warms my heart
and gives us comfort in knowing that Kelly did the right thing,” said
Linda.
“Thank
you to the YMCA and all the staff for giving us a scholarship…Because
of the YMCA my granddaughter will always have memories she can cherish
forever.”
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