Camp Lionheart: A place for young heart warriors

Some young campers celebrated the fifth birthday of a little girl they never knew on Aug. 2, although they had a lot in common.

“My little girl was a heart warrior like you guys,” Williamsport resident Jennifer Ayers told the 15 campers at Camp Lionheart. “It means a lot for me to be able to have this camp for you so you can meet other heart warriors.”

The inaugural session of Camp Lionheart at Camp Kirchenwald in Colebrook, Lebanon County welcomed campers ages 11-18 who share an important bond with Ayers' daughter, Ellie, who was born on Aug. 2, 2011 and died from cardiomyopathy (heart disease) on April 25, 2012.

Although none of the campers have the same rare dilated cardiomyopathy that Ellie had, all of them have repaired congenital heart defects or cardiomyopathies and all are cared for by the Penn State Children's Heart Group at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

“For some of them, this is the first time they have ever been to a camp,” said Dr. Thomas Chin, chief of pediatric cardiology, whose idea it was to begin the camp. “We want them to learn not only about their physical limitations, but more importantly about their physical abilities.”

Camp Lionheart is free, funded by Ellie's Heart Foundation, Children's Miracle Network , the Medical Center's Department of Pediatrics, Penn State Children's Heart Group and private donations.

To learn more about Camp Lionheart, read this Penn State Medicine article.

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