NIH Record - National Institutes of Health

Kids Enjoy Summer Fun at Camp Fantastic

Group photo featuring campers in front a Camp Fantastic sign
Camp Fantastic 2023 gets “two thumbs up” from all 45 campers who attended.
Zay-Zay, Jones, Rostock and a dog smile
Zan’Leighn “Zay-Zay” Dale of Salisbury, Md., gets a tour of “Farm Day” from counselors Julia Jones and Sarah Rostock.

Photo:  Marleen Van Den Neste

A girl holds a chicken
Lucia Smith of Alexandria, Va., makes a fowl friend at Camp Fantastic’s Farm Day.

Photo:  Marleen Van Den Neste

A boy on crutches wades out of a lake with help from two counselors.
Scout Hughes of Fairfax gets a helping hand at canoeing class.

Photo:  Marleen Van Den Neste

The Teen Challenge Class celebrates after completion of the course. They are wearing hard hats.
The Teen Challenge Class celebrates completion of their morning on the high ropes.

Photo:  Marleen Van Den Neste

Four participants take part in a costume race
Competition is fierce in the camp’s costume race.

Photo:  Marleen Van Den Neste

Counselors and campers take part in a talent show
Donna Gregory (r), chief of the recreational therapy section in the Clinical Center’s rehabilitation medicine department, and fellow counselors (from l) Jones and Holly Senn, share the talent show spotlight with Zay-Zay.

Photo:  Marleen Van Den Neste

Kids jump into a pool
Pool time is a highlight of every Camp Fantastic afternoon.

Photo:  Marleen Van Den Neste


Each year, Camp Fantastic, founded by Special Love Inc. in 1983, provides a unique summer camp experience for dozens of children who are undergoing treatment for cancer or are in recovery. NIH’s Pediatric Oncology Branch coordinates all aspects of care at the camp, with an on-site medical facility staffed by NIH physicians, nurses and volunteers.

From Aug. 4 to 10, campers, volunteers and counselors will make their way to Front Royal, Va., where they’ll have the opportunity to enjoy fun activities like musical performances, crafts, swimming and canoeing. These photos from last year’s 40th anniversary edition of Camp Fantastic show some of these adventures in action.

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