Camp Onkoi Benek: Year One (Part 4)

Liz doing my postural drainage (PD)

     

Sometimes it feels like yesterday when Liz and I met, but in reality it was 26 years ago to the day. So how did our first encounter occur? Again, it was 26 years ago, so things are a bit fuzzy, but I recall Liz and I met the 2nd day of camp. Anyway, it was when our patrol was checking out our daily agenda on the wall, near the couches where we usually grabbed our medicine from Richard Zeluff a.k.a. Pharmacy Dick (who did a suburb job organizing our meds before meal time), and as I was looking at the board with a red gym ball in my hands, I heard a girl behind me say.

     "Hey cutie, come here."

     I remember sitting on her lap, which was quite often. From then on we started hanging around each other. Liz adopted our patrol for that week, and adoption at camp took a split second, thank goodness. :)

     I was always happy to wake up at 6:30 A.M. in the morning, because I knew Liz would be waiting for me after I finished my breathing treatment, or I'd be waiting for her outside along the bench to do my PD. Liz did my PD every morning (photo above) for the next 6-7 days. Her and I jogged in the evening together, which was part of our physical exercise after doing breathing treatments. Basically that entire week was spent with Liz.

     I hated the last day of camp a.k.a. departure day. The night before (as mentioned earlier) was our bonfire. I'm not sure if I shed a tear during the bonfire, but. . for me it was a time to think about all the fun that I had that week, and those that I'd leave behind until next year. I remember thinking about Liz and wondering if I'd ever see her again? I didn't want to believe that everything was going to be over.

     My memory is fuzzy when it comes to departure day. One minute I remember something, the next I forget it. Anyway, my parents picked me up early that first year (never to be done again), which I couldn't believe. I actually think I was the first camper to be picked up, but I could be wrong. Then sometimes I think it was around noon when they picked me up, instead of 9 A.M. As you could tell, my parents missed me. I missed them as well, but gosh, I wanted at least 5 more hours with Liz.

     Anyway, I remember it was during breakfast. While we were all eating, someone said.

     "Uh oh. .  someone's parents are here."

     I turned my shoulder and seen my PARENTS pull up outside. How could this be? Why so early? I remember getting up slowly (slow as in I didn't want to leave) and I headed to the boys dorm. I had packed everything the night before. I don't recall saying goodbye to any of my patrol, mostly because they were scattered throughout the dinning hall. I know Jimeyer came and helped me with my bags since he was my patrol leader. I do (somewhat) recall Liz saying goodbye to me, and I even think she came into the boys dorm as well, since everyone was at breakfast.

     I missed mail call that morning (time when we received mail) since I wasn't there. Normally mail call was at lunch, but it being departure day, it was at breakfast since parents would start arriving to pick their kids up at noon. Jimmie or Jason LaFrance had wrote me a letter and Liz included it in the first letter that she wrote to me post camp. 

     I had that feeling in my stomach that I didn't want to leave. I don't entirely recall saying goodbye to Liz (a memory I wish I had), but I know I did. I had the best week of my life, and I owed it all to my CF friends, my patrol, Jimeyer, Rob, and of course Liz. I look back on that first year with fond memories. 

     Once we left camp, my Mom opened my goodie bag. I remember her telling me that there was a sheet or two of everyone's name and their home address. I remember thinking it was awesome that I was going to be able to write to Liz. I slept all the way home. That 2 hour drive went by fast. 

     When I got home I unpacked all my clothes and belongings and checked out those address sheets. There was one problem. . .  where's Liz's name? I knew Liz by her name, which was Liz, right?  Nope.  That was her nickname. Little did I know, her first name was Elizabeth. I read those sheets of paper over and over again and I couldn't find anyone named 'Liz' and of course I didn't know where she lived, or her last name. I remember crying, as I felt lost and confused. I couldn't believe I was going to have to wait 365 days until I'd talk to her or see her again. 

     A week or so later I went to my mail box, and there it was.  No, it wasn't a chocolate bar with a golden ticket inside, but something better.  Liz had wrote me a letter. YES!! I remember heading inside my house and jumping up and down. It was so great to hear from her. I remember heading to my room and putting some music on as I read her letter. As I read the last page, she announced a bombshell. She stated that she wouldn't be attending camp next year in 1989, but her twin sister (Margaret) would be attending and she expected me to be there. My first words were. WHAT? TWIN? I was bummed about the entire situation. As Liz put it, she'd be sending her replacement. Who could replace Liz? Impossible. Boy, was I in for a treat. 

     So I knew I was going to miss Liz next year at CF camp, no doubt, but from the image below, I think camp '89 was looking pretty darn good. :)

Jesse Richardson & Margaret Michalski: Camp '89

To see the photos above in their original size and form, please click below.

Camp Onkoi Benek Fun Facts

"Don't Ask The Reasons Why" By David Foster (1987)
Motion Picture Soundtrack To The Secret of My Succe$s

Camp Onkoi Benek: Fun Facts

18 years ago our Cystic Fibrosis (CF) summer camp was discontinued and this typically would be the first full week of camp (give or take a day). Our camp ran from 1972-1996 (25 yrs). I figured I'd post some fun facts that occurred during my 9 years at Camp Onkoi Benek (1988-1996).  Onkoi Benek in Indian means To Conquer Tomorrow, and as kids, teens, and adults with CF, that's exactly what we did, and still continue to do. It was a week filled with laughs, smiles, and joy. . .  and restful nights (well, if you were a camper).   ::wink::

The song currently playing (YouTube might be glitching. .  again) was the first song I heard on my walkman on the way to my first year of camp in 1988. The first day of camp that year was Saturday, July 16th 1988. So these are some fun facts, photos, and awards. I still don't understand how I was awarded "Mr. Casanova" in 1989 via my camp counselors Bill "Willie" Halpin and Ken "The Mail Man" Osterman. Maybe the below picture(s) will explain some of it. :)

Sadly, our camp in Dowling, MI (near Battle Creek) was discontinued after 1996. 

1st introduction to Camp Onkoi Benek

The person that introduced me to CF camp was Brian Weber and his Mother, who lived 15 minutes from us.  My family and I met them at Karate class, which would've been mid 1987, when I started.  The strange thing is, I don't recall Brian being in Karate class. I think him and his Mom were just checking it out. Anyway, his Mom talked to my Mom and told us about this summer camp near Battle Creek, MI for those living with CF.  We became interested and gathered more information from my CF doctor. Photo from 1990.

1st person I met: Jimeyer

The first person I met at CF camp 1988 was Jim Meyer, who was my first counselor (non CFer). When we got to camp I recall getting out of the car and looking around, and all of a sudden I hear this man yell "JEEESSSSEEEE!!!"  He walked over to me and gave me a hug. I didn't know who he was. At first I thought he was a family member, because I thought. "How does this guy know my name?"  Little did I know then, Jim and I would become friends through postage mail, e-mail and in person. Photo from 1994.

Jimeyer wasn't just the first person that I met at CF camp, he was the first person to write me and send me a postcard. He sent me this postcard a week or so after camp. That started my long distance writing (it be letters & cards) to my friends from CF camp, which would continue (even through the age of the Internet) until 2010. Postcard: July 1988.

1st CF friend: Elizabeth Michalski

The first person that I became close friends with at CF camp during my first year in 1988 was Elizabeth a.k.a. Liz. Her and I gelled so well together and I enjoyed hanging around her. . . morning. . . mid-day. . . afternoon. . . evening. .  ok. .  you get the point. :) She adopted our patrol that year.  Little did I know at the time, but Liz and her twin sister Margaret had been going to camp several years prior to my first year. I still recall (after the last day of camp and I was back home) trying to find Liz's address in our camp address/telephone number list that was given to every camper and staff member. I couldn't find Liz's name. I didn't know her last name. So after searching, crying, and getting sad, I just gave up and hoped I would see her next year at camp '89. 2 weeks after camp Liz wrote me. I remember jumping up and down once I got back inside the house after getting the mail. I knew her as 'Liz' but her full name was Elizabeth. This poor kid's heart was restored. Photo from 1988.

1st time eating Yogurt

Can you believe it? Camp '88 was the first time (that I recall) that I ate yogurt.  Still to this day I love it.  The flavor that I had was Strawberries 'n Banana's and it was by Yoplait.

1st time dancing

I didn't shock the monkey, but I did dance with it. To my knowledge, this was the first time that I ever recall dancing, so you could say I learned how to dance by dancing with a battery operated monkey. This was Laura Varon Brown's monkey that she had at Camp '88 that year, and actually kept it for quite a few years until it stopped working. PS I love those shoes I had. Photo from 1988.

1st time performing Taekwondo

Camp '88 was my first time performing in front of this many people (100+) for our camp's talent show. It was actually Jimeyer's idea. I'm not sure how it came about, but he had some great meditation music and it worked well with the Taekwondo pattern(s) that I was doing, which was Chon-Ji (the heaven, the earth), which takes about 1 minute to perform. Dan-Gun was another pattern that I performed, which was named after the holy Dan-Gun, who's said to have found Korea back in 2333 BC. At this point I was 9th Kup (Yellow belt).  I just received my yellow belt in March 1988. Photo from 1988.

1st time away from home

Camp '88 was the first time I was away from home for an entire week, and I LOVED IT! My Karate sport duffel bag. Perfect for nice trips like going to CF camp.

1st letter: Liz

Liz was the first person to write me a letter after CF camp '88. Once I started writing to Liz, somehow, someway, I became more creative, thus I started writing more stories, and even kept a journal from 1988-2001. I noticed I started to enjoy writing more then I had prior to CF camp. I still carry the trait to this day.
Favorite award: Mr. Casanova (1989)

1989 was my 2nd year at CF camp. Liz didn't come to camp that year, but she sent along her twin sister Margaret. Bill "Willie" Halpin & Ken "The Mail Man" Osterman were my camp counselors. After reading the definition of a 'Casanova' It doesn't pertain to myself, but. . at the sake of having fun, I guess I was a charmer and something special back then. Photo from 1989.
1st kiss: Amanda BainTo be 13 again. My first kiss took place at Camp '92, which was my 5th year attending camp. I still remember Amanda wearing watermelon lip balm. Amanda and I quickly became an item at camp and continued our relationship (long distance) for a year and 3 months.  Our song was 'Right Here Waiting' by Richard Marx (1989). I broke up with her in September 1993. There was no CF camp for our session in July 1993, which made things rough. We actually were both relieved about the break-up, because she truly wanted to be friends, but the long distance thing was hard, and we both were happy about the decision and continued to be friends through the years. My nickname for her was 'babe' and mine was 'spike' due to my spiked hair. I could go into more details, but I'll leave it at that. They truly were great memories. Photo from 1992.

It's always nice to know that someone in your life had your heart.

Last person I said goodbye to: Amanda Bain

Gosh. .  where has the time gone? 18 years and I still remember the last person I said goodbye to.  That would be Amanda, as I departed the grounds of Camp Onkoi Benek in July 1996. Little did anyone know, that would be everyone's final year at CF camp. Amanda walked me to my car. I remember Amanda was wearing a purple tie-dye shirt. I recall putting my belongings in my car and I slowly turned around and looked at her and hugged her and told her to take care of herself and that I'd keep in contact and write her. Sadly, that would be the last time I'd see Amanda again.  Even in photos until she passed away on January 20th 2006. Photo from (Camp dance) 1996.

Kama's Visit: May 10th 2007

May 10th 2007

Kama Mastromonaco came over to my house and spent the day with me.  I had met Kama back at camp '95 and saw her again at camp '96. I hadn't seen her since 1996, so it was good to see her again.

Kama & Jesse at Chuck E. Cheese: What a story.  :)

Jennifer Hall, Jennifer Brooks, Jesse Richardson, Kama Mastromonaco

CF camp 1996

Last person I wrote to: Shawnna Gould

December 2010 about a week or so before Christmas my CF camp friend Shawnna sent me a Christmas card, and I sent one back. I had met Shawnna at camp '95, though she didn't attend camp in 1996 due to traveling to Virginia to visit with relatives. She was the last person that I kept in contact with via postal mail. I still talk to her Dad. Shawnna passed away on Sept 12th 2012.

Favorite camp photo: Liz & Margaret

I can't express how much this photo means to me. It means more then any other photo that I have from CF camp, and I have over 700. I still remember when this was took by my Mom, which was the first day of Camp 1990. I was trying to get the guts to ask both Liz and Margaret if we could all get a picture together. It turned out perfect. Photo from 1990.

Thank you for reading. July 23rd 1988 was the final day of my first year of  CF camp, so I thought on that day I would share my first year with another blog.  Camp Onkoi Benek: Year One.

The Cure: Just Like Heaven (1987)