Fifteen years ago, Darsh and Nalini started coming to Camp ASCCA. Nalini found out about Camp through Darsh’s speech therapist at the time and decided to take a tour. She came with her family to see ASCCA and got to ask Matt Rickman tons of questions about Camp ASCCA. By the end of the day, she had signed Darsh up for his first summer here.
The special thing about Nalini and Darsh is that they get to spend the week together here at ASCCA. After 2020, there was a nurse shortage that affected Camp ASCCA and that is when a nurse here, Abbey, called Nalini. At this point, she was a NICU nurse and had been a nurse for many years. Abbey knew Nalini was the perfect fit and that is how we are here today.
Nalini says being a nurse at Camp ASCCA is completely different from being a nurse in a typical hospital environment. She is currently an ICU nurse and she says there is barely any comparison between the two. Being a nurse here is so laid back and rewarding for her. For Nalini, the week she is here, is the week she looks forward to most and is the most fun week of her year.
Darsh is twenty eight years old with Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus. He has had one hundred and four brain surgeries but you would never know when you see him at Camp ASCCA. That is exactly why Nalini and Darsh continue to come back. Being in a place where the campers are so loved and encouraged is something you cannot see anywhere else Nalini says. Seeing her son have these experiences and be so lively is irreplaceable to her.
Nalini says the staff and people that surround ASCCA are the best around. She says it is so heart warming to see her son, as well as the other campers, have the freedom and resources to do things they would not be able to do outside of Camp ASCCA. This place is so special to Darsh and Nalini that words cannot even describe it. Nalini’s favorite part of Camp is seeing her son thrive and Darsh’s favorite part is the Zipline!
To see more photos from Session 3, click here.
