She Went to Camp as a Cancer Patient. Years Later, She Returned as the Nurse
- A former childhood cancer patient returns to Campfire Circle as a registered nurse
- Camp-based healthcare allows children to receive treatment without missing out on meaningful experiences.
- Nurses play a powerful role in shaping patients’ futures, often in ways they may never fully see.
Image: Campfire Circle
When Maram Muktar was six years old, she attended Campfire Circle for the first time while undergoing cancer treatment. Diagnosed at a young age with Ewing sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, camp quickly became a place of comfort during some of her most difficult years.
Little did she know that two decades later, she would return not as a camper, but as a nurse helping kids just like her enjoy the magic of camp.
“I don’t know who I would be without camp,” Muktar said. “I’ve learned so many things and grown into myself because of camp.”
Finding a Sense of Belonging
Muktar first attended Campfire Circle’s Muskoka programs in 2010 and returned every summer for the next seven years. She remembers feeling nervous before her first long stay, but that feeling faded quickly.
“I just met some incredible people. It was so special,” she said. “The friends I made that year, we’re still friends today.”
At Campfire Circle, children facing serious illnesses find something they do not always experience at home or in the hospital: a sense of normalcy. Because everyone at camp understands what it is like to live with illness, Muktar said it creates an environment without judgment where kids feel accepted and supported.
The camp is uniquely designed for children with cancer and other complex medical needs. It provides advanced medical care on-site, including IV chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and dialysis, ensuring campers do not have to miss out on swimming, crafts, or canoeing because of treatment.
Inspired by the Care She Received
After years of spending time in hospitals, Muktar says the nurses she met along the way deeply impacted her career path.
“My childhood was basically in the hospital,” she said. “Seeing how supportive the nurses were and how much they cared, it was such a good feeling. I just really wanted to make other people feel that way.”
When her years as a camper came to an end, Muktar returned the following summer as a volunteer. She continued volunteering as a camp counselor while she was in nursing school, staying connected to the place that had played such a significant role in her life.
Now 26, Muktar works as a registered nurse at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, where she currently practises in paediatrics and the neonatal intensive care unit. She has also previously worked in oncology at SickKids and at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. Each summer since becoming a nurse in 2021, she has returned to Campfire Circle as part of the healthcare team.
Although campers are dealing with serious illnesses, treatment does not have to pull them away from the joy of camp. Medical care continues while children are playing, socializing, and gathering around the campfire.
“We’re giving them their meds and they’ve got their IV running, but it’s really nice to be able to bring health care to them while they’re enjoying something,” she said.
Why This Matters for Nurses
Muktar’s journey highlights the long-lasting impact nurses can have on their patients, often in ways they may never realize. The care, reassurance, and compassion she received as a child influenced not only how she experienced illness, but also the career path she ultimately chose.
Her story serves as a reminder that nursing is about more than treatment plans and procedures. The relationships nurses build and the sense of safety they create can shape how patients view healthcare, themselves, and their futures long after the hospital stay ends.
A Place for Kids to Be Kids
For Muktar, Campfire Circle is a reminder that a diagnosis does not define a child.
“A lot of people see the illness and think that this child is this illness now, but they’re really not,” she said. “They’re still kids.”
The camp also offers family programs so parents and siblings can join in. It is a safe, joyful space where illness is acknowledged but not centered, allowing kids to focus on being kids.
Coming Full Circle
Now, when Muktar watches campers laugh, build friendships, and try new activities, she sees her younger self reflected in them.
“It’s very heartwarming,” she said. “Sometimes I think back, and I used to be that kid. Now, to be able to help these kids and families experience the same things I did, it’s very special.”
For Muktar, that full-circle moment captures why she chose nursing.
“Being able to just make it that much better, and bring these smiles to their faces,” she said, “is just really why I do it.”
🤔Nurses, have you ever had a patient experience that shaped your career path? Share your thoughts in the discussion forum below!
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