A couple of years ago, I invested in a hot tub. Nothing fancy, but an almost daily end-of-the-evening ritual for me that helps me have balance. When I go into the hot tub, I don’t have to think too much about safety besides the usual precautions. Not so the case for my spouse, Chanda: she can’t go in the hot tub alone (ever) or with the kids if no other adult is present and needs to think very carefully about raising her core body temperature.
 
Before she became a competitive hockey player at a young age, Chanda was a competitive swimmer. Her diagnosis led her medical team to conclude that swimming was not a safe choice. Today, her recreational swim is always under the eye of watchful lifeguards and/or other adults. An accomplished surfer, she has taught our children how to surf. Last summer, when her seizure control was less favorable, the kids surfed alone. It’s not fair, and the kids and Chanda were disappointed. This year, we’re excited to add Surfing Camp to our Camp options: Thanks to Special Surfers, kids and youth with a wide range of seizure control and ability plan to participate, safely, with scores of volunteers, health care professionals, and adaptive equipment.
 
At our Purple Camps, we strive to have children experience all of the joys of summer, including swimming. Teams of lifeguards watch our every move. On campers’ doctors’ orders, children may be required to use life vests and always have to pass swim tests. My own children (12 and 10) who attend camp with us often wonder how the water at camp is less cold for me because I always go in with our campers: they know I am much more averse to swimming when they ask me outside of camp. I can tell you that watching a child with epilepsy jump off a dock into a lake – when they never thought they could – melts the cold away for me.
 
Chanda is the one living with epilepsy, but my whole family is affected by epilepsy. We adapt to make sure Chanda and all of us - including all of our campers - can do all the water offers us. This summer, surfing is on the agenda for my family and for all of our Surfing Camps. And we'll be back in the lakes, pools, boats, and oceans with our campers.