staff – Camp Cranium

Marissa is a former camper who became a Camp Cranium volunteer and is now a member of our Board of Directors! She was kind enough to share her personal story with us, and it’s perfectly timed for Halloween:

“When I was 14 years old I was hit by a car on Halloween while out Trick-or-Treating. I was medevacked to The University of Pennsylvania Hospital where I received emergency brain surgery.

I broke six bones and had a collapsed right lung. After surgery, I was transferred to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to begin what would become a long and intense road to recovery.

I endured several weeks and months of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy. When Camp Cranium launched in 2008, I was asked to come as a camper. As I was navigating my way through my new normal and my recovery, it was such a great opportunity for me to meet others who had also suffered from a TBI.

After being a camper, I was asked to become a counselor and currently, a cabin leader. I cherish the relationships that I have made over the past 11 years and I am thankful to have the ‘camp family’ that I do.

Currently, I am a co-chair on the fundraising team for the BIAPA Run, Walk, Roll. It has truly become my passion to spread awareness about TBI and to raise money to aid in treatment and recovery and for Camp Cranium! I believe that this camp was such an important part of my recovery and now part of my ongoing therapy as an adult living with TBI.

To know that there were other people out there that maybe understood what I was going through was so helpful for me as I was learning to live with my disabilities. Now, I take pride in being one of those people who can share their story and possibly help another survivor. I am forever in debt to everyone that has helped me to get where I am today and Camp Cranium is certainly part of that.“

Thank you so much for sharing your story and for all you do to make Camp Cranium possible, Marissa!

When we dropped our son off for his first week at Camp Cranium, we were a little nervous. But we had no idea just how important a part of his life it would become. Looking at photos from that week, or thinking back to the day we picked him up, there was a smile on his face and a look in his eyes that showed us the experience had changed him.

The taste of independence, the feeling that he could do anything, the confidence and determination as a kid who was scared of heights and still working hard on his balance and flexibility as he recovered from a stroke talked about climbing a rock wall and showed off his ability to cross a balance beam on the playground…it’s no wonder he looks forward to going back every year!

As we obsessively check Facebook for photos of him enjoying himself all week, the smiles and that invincible look in his eyes just confirm for us how glad we are Camp Cranium exists and how special it is to us that he gets to be part of it. Same with all the smiles we get from counselors and volunteers at the end of each camp week. Camp Cranium affects everyone it touches!

This very much includes parents. We know how special our kids are, and it’s comforting to know that we’re leaving them with people who see what we see in them and will encourage them to try things they may otherwise never get a chance to experience. In addition to knowing that our kids are having a blast all week, we appreciate the opportunity to meet and swap stories with other families who understand what everyone’s been through and share many of the same concerns

The wonderful people who plan and operate Camp Cranium outdo themselves every year. They truly care about our kids and work hard to give them a fun and memorable week. The hugs, laughs, and tears are genuine at the closing ceremony, as graduating campers get a well-earned send-off and everyone relives the past few days through a slideshow video and award presentation. The impact is powerfully visible in the campers, counselors, and organizers of Camp Cranium. I’m proud to now be part of the team helping to tell its story and keep it going strong for many years to come!

Tony Sadowski

Executive Director

Tag: staff

Survivor Spotlight: Marissa (Witman) Motts

Meet Our New Executive Director – Tony Sadowski!

Tony Sadowski