Camp Simcha retreat offers respite for siblings with seriously ill brother or sister
Largest such event yet sees 70-strong group of youngsters from London, Manchester and Gateshead participating
At seven years old, Akiva underwent a bone marrow transplant to save the life of his four year old baby brother Yishai, diagnosed with leukaemia in 2023.
Fast forward to last week and, Akiva, together with his two sisters Sara and Michal, headed to Derbyshire for Camp Simcha’s largest sibling retreat to date, giving their parents and Yishai some quality time together.
The trio were part of a group of forty five primary school age siblings and 30 teenagers, for whom the few days of fun with the charity provide welcome respite for the forgotten sufferers who navigate life alongside living with a seriously ill brother or sister.
The last three years have seen the family go through a journey of chemotherapy, hospital stays and uncertainty, with Yishai’s siblings having had to grow up faster than any child should have to.
This sibling retreat provided welcome relief, with climbing, high ropes, zip wire, clock making and arts and crafts, with a DJ and concert in the evening.
Jacqui and her husband Benjy said: “It was really special for us as we don’t really get that much time together just the three of us, apart from when he wasn’t well, so it was really nice for us to give him that extra attention. It’s his birthday coming up so we managed to take a trip to a toy shop so he could look around. Something we would never have been able to do without taking everyone along.”
Camp Simcha chief executive Daniel Gillis said: “Siblings carry so much, often silently. But sibling retreat, now in its fifth year, exists to put them front and centre where they can simply be children, laughing and finding new friends who ‘get it’. It’s a real privilege to witness and reminds us why Camp Simcha’s work matters.”
Each year more than 850 siblings, primary school age and teenagers, are supported through a dedicated age-appropriate programme that combines therapeutic arts, peer groups, retreats, counselling and Big Brother and Big Sister volunteers, so that a child with a seriously ill brother or sister doesn’t become a ‘forgotten sufferer’.
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