Reduced Scout Day Camp

 The hike to the range: "Moooommmm, don't take my picture...."

One week after Toe had his PICC line removed, he was scheduled to attend Cub Scout day camp. The camp ran 8:30 to 3:30 Monday through Thursday, with a family event on Friday. It became apparent after a couple of days post-PICC that Toe did not have enough energy to attend. When I informed the leader for our district, she was very understanding but felt badly that Toe would have to miss camp (as did we). She suggested that the most high-interest part of day camp was the BB gun shooting and bows and arrows and asked if Toe might like to attend camp for those activities. It was two and a half hours for two days. We jumped at the opportunity.

Archery

 Shooting (BB Guns)

So, on a dusty Tuesday morning, we arrived in time to hike the mile to the range with a group of Cub Scouts. Toe was able to see the fellow Wolves from his den for the first time in two months (he has been sick for months and missed scouts due to illness/treatments). The boys learned how to hold bows properly, shoot arrows, and bow and arrow safety.  Toe managed to hit the corner of the target of the boy next to him… Then they rotated to BB guns. They received a talk about safety, put on their goggles, and shot at targets. Toe did not hit his target, but managed to shoot the clothes pin holding the target up.  Each group was too large for all boys to participate at once, so I spent most of my time watching/entertaining the boys not shooting. After the mile hike back, it was really time for us to go.

The next day, Toe opted to catch a ride to the shooting range – a good choice, as he was tired and short tempered. When we got to the range, his mood improved, and he fell in with his friends. It was more of the same, but the boys knew what they were doing this time, so things went more smoothly.

It was incredible to have Toe be able to participate so close after his hospital stay and home infusions. The experience showed me that two and a half hours for two days was exactly the amount that Toe could handle and that we had made the right decision not to send him for the full week. I am extremely grateful to the district for allowing Toe to attend on a reduced schedule so that he could have the experience without having to sacrifice his health.

Waiting in-between was hard. And Mom just kept shooting photos.