I arrived at the campsite in the middle of nowhere with a borrowed sleeping bag, duffle bag full of what I thought I might need, and no idea of what to expect. Immediately I was greeted by a larger than life man, Dennis, whom although wheelchair bound just wants to share his love with you, talk to you and if you're a girl, braid your hair. So after my hair was braided I headed into the main cabin to register and found out I was to be assigned a camper to share the weekend with and assist where I could.
My camper, now my friend, was Mike. Immediately upon meeting him I knew I had so much left to learn about life and what it means to live. Mike was born with two arms but only one wrist and one hand but that didn't stop him from rock climbing his way across the states! His experiences and stories are amazing, however his last climb caused his injury as he was free soloing with no ropes or support and fell 50ft putting himself in a coma. As he says, God saved his life. After nine days he regained consciousness however had to re-learn how to eat, talk and walk with his two new prosthetic legs. He tells his story with confidence wanting everyone to know he did a 'stupid' thing and is so thankful to have his life. His speech is perfect however his memory fails him at times, this I learnt is a common problem for brain injury survivors. Mike taught me that you can live without fear and conquer your personal challenges but you are not invincible... Wear a helmet.
Mike and I, along with his other volunteer Michael (it got pretty confusing), had a weekend full of great activities... The first evening kicked off with hotdogs and roasting marshmallows on an open fire, which I was terrible at setting all our marshmallows on fire. Luckily I was forgiven as they didn't taste that bad when you peeled the black parts off.
We ended the evening with a talent show that I couldn't convince Mike to sing in anymore than he could convince me. The show truly touched everyone when Martha, a courageous woman wheelchair bound, sung Amazing Grace. That was the first, but certainly not last, time I genuinely felt the endless spirit of the people I was surrounded by when everyone joined it at the chorus.
On the second day we started off with a horseshoes competition, a game I had never tried properly but was roped into participating in by Mike and Mike. Needless to say I did not qualify for the finals of my category however Mike not only qualified for his finals but won it to! This was his first year taking home the trophy and I am convinced it will not be his last. We went paddle boating after lunch and enjoyed free snow cones. It was over snow cones I had the pleasure of meeting Jay, ex navy personnel, who told me all about his time in Japan, struggles and conquests in life. We skipped fishing, because Mike didn't like it and I was no good, and headed straight over to archery. It was at archery that I witnessed first hand the sheer joy miracles can bring... At first Mike refused to participate because his legs were tired and he only has one hand however we convinced him he could still do it. With myself and another volunteer (who is also a survivor) holding him up Mike played assisted archery, and actually did very well at it! I wish I could describe the look on his face when he realised he was playing archery properly for the first time in his life but it was something you had to see and an energy you had to feel. 
In the evening after playing bingo a disco was set up in the main hall. Those in wheelchairs were lifted up to have the chance to dance and I was lucky enough to dance with Mike and a lovely man called Randy, a survivor of a car accident, who taught me how to two-step (a country western dance). The last day was slightly more chilled out as we got to watch a dog agility show. The best part about that was getting to play with all the dogs at the end, despite wanting to take at least three of them home with me. We ended the weekend with a hayride (photo to the left) and a beautiful closing ceremony that didn't leave a dry eye in the building.
I won't share each individual's story that touched me because it would take me all night but I will say that there was something different to learn from each and every one of them. They were all brought together by a common denominator however each injury is different as the brain is an incredible, complex organ. I hope that after this experience I am able to work daily on not taking my health or my life for granted and I will honestly keep all of those people in my heart forever.
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