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E-mail This StoryMuscular Dystrophy can present challenges to those afflicted with the disease.
Matt Swinton, 17, considers it to have been an advantage in life. He explains because of his affliction with MD, he has been given opportunities he never otherwise would have.
Swinton was diagnosed with the disease at the age of one. Among the opportunities it presented was the chance to attend camp John Marc in Meridian. The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) goes to camp once a year and takes kids battling MD. Matt has been lucky enough to go 13 times.
“There is ropes course and zip line that you wouldn’t be able to do if you weren’t at a MDA,” Swinton said. “The camp creates an environment with a support system (and) you share in the experience with lots of kids.”
According to their website camp John Mark “partners with community and health professionals and organizations to provide high quality camping experiences year round to campers who have a chronic illness or physical disability.” MDA is one of the camps partners and gets the chance to use the camp for one week every year for kids with MD.
“In the outside world you think can I do it, but at camp you think do I want to do it, because you can do anything at camp,” Swinton said.
The camp is fully handicap accesible and there is a full staff of doctors and nurses to meet all the campers’ needs. The camp gives children a chance to do things that they otherwise would never be able to do.
“There is not a lot of things like this (camp) outside of MDA,” Swinton said. “I wouldn’t trade this camp for the world.”
This is the 16th year that Camp John Marc has partnered with MDA to offer this program. Funds are also raised throughout the year so more than 100 kids can attend this week long camp for free. The camp each year also has a theme that is followed throughout the week’s activities. This year’s theme is “Camp Hollywood” and such things as a casino night, VIP dinner, and a “Night at the Oscars” will be featured along with the regular activities.
The camp also has to have lots of counselors to be with the kids since they have disabilities. There is one counselor for each child. So everyone has somebody to help them. The counselors are volunteers. They can’t let as many kids into the camp each year if they don’t have the volunteer counselors to pair with the kids.
“There are so many kids that get turned down because there isn’t enough space or counselors,” Swinton said.
Swinton has been lucky enough to have fireman Bill for the past fire years. Bill is a firefighter in River Oaks that takes off a week each year to volunteer at the camp.
“(Camp is an advantage in it) teaches him to be independent, and away from the routine care from us (his parents), ( and teaches) being able to think things through on his own,” said Diane Swinton, Matt’s Mom.
Swinton was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Aterophy at age one. He had to go through an EMG and biopsy to be diagnosed. He explained now a days though a child can be diagnosed with SMA or other types of MD through simple blood test, thanks to the research that has been done by MDA.
Matt is also a goodwill ambassador for MDA and speaks at events and does charity work with the group.
“When I was diagnosed, they talk to you about having a support system,” Swinton said, “When I got old enough to understand, I felt like I had to give back to other families like mine.”
Due to a rule change in the camp, this will be the last year that Matt will get to attend but he wants to continue to return in future years to see people and talk to other children about what he has been through.
“MDA has given me so much and it is such a great organization,” Swinton said. “I don’t think I can ever give back enough. It has been an awesome organization to be a part of.”
Matt is a recent graduate of Southlake Carroll Senior High School. He will be attending Notre Dame in the fall. He was also accepted to Rice and Stanford. He has also already located a MDA office in a neighboring city close to South Bend,Ind. where he can continue his volunteer work with MDA.
