“Camp has lifted her spirits and helped her gain confidence.”
When You Feel “Outcast” and “Alone”
No parent wants their child to be teased. Cathy Stalinski is among them.
But as a young child, her daughter Kateri was often picked on. Kateri’s liver transplant meant standing out—with short “boyish” hair and bloated “steroid belly”—wherever she went.
As a baby, Kateri had been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition called biliary atresia. It was so rare that many nurses in the hospital didn’t know it by name. Within days, she underwent her first major surgery. A new liver saved her life.
Living with a transplant brought new challenges: Regular doctor’s appointments across state lines. Daily medications to prevent organ rejection. A compromised immune system. Serious medication side effects.
These realities shaped where Kateri could go, what she could do safely, and how she experienced the world as she grew up. Everyday childhood moments—like joining a sports team or swimming in a public pool—were out of reach.
Isolation, uncertainty, and feeling “different” became the norm.
How Camp Changed Everything
When Kateri was seven, Cathy learned about a camp program designed especially for kids with transplants and their families at North Star Reach, our SeriousFun camp in Michigan.
At Family Camp, something shifted.
During a Family Camp program, Kateri bonded with kids who understood her medical journey without explanation. They’d had transplants, too. No bullying. No judgement.
“I got to hang out with people who like understood what I was going through and had the same stuff as me. I didn’t feel like an outcast while I was there,” said Kateri. “Before camp, I had never made a friend who any type of transplant. Now, I have multiple friends who had a liver transplant, which is the same exact thing I had.”
Kateri, participating in a “No Hands Spaghetti” meal at camp.
For Cathy and her husband, the impact was just as profound. They met fellow caregivers they could relate to.
“At camp, they had a session where all the parents go around and talk about their journey. It’s supposed to be a short share-out, but people just talk and talk because they’re finally with people who understand,” said Cathy. “You go to camp and you realize, ‘I’m not the only one. I’m not alone.’”
The next summer, as Kateri and her siblings swam, sang, and adventured around camp, Cathy and her husband took an overdue anniversary trip to Alaska. It was their very first time away from all four kids—and the first time they felt they could trust people to manage Kateri’s medical care.
“Camp doesn’t just care for kids. It cares for families,” said Cathy. “That is huge.”
Camp became a beacon of joy, hope, and connection for Kateri’s siblings, too.
Victory Junction, our SeriousFun camp in North Carolina, offers dedicated autism sessions that two of Cathy’s sons attend. Meanwhile, Flying Horse Farms, our SeriousFun camp in Ohio, provides additional transplant and young adult programs for Kateri and her siblings.
The Power of Belonging
The impact of camp doesn’t end when the sessions are over.
Kateri carried her new friendships with fellow transplant recipients’ home with her. They live in different states, but she still calls them to chat.
“Camp has lifted her spirits and helped her gain confidence,” said Cathy.
In a space free from judgement, Kateri got to experience new activities and discover new strengths. Camp’s medically safe environment meant that she could finally swim with friends—something that was otherwise off-limits as an immunocompromised kid.
“Camp is just better than real life,” said Kateri.
Through SeriousFun, the Stalinskis have found a community that embraces their entire family—medical complexity and all—just as they are.
“This is a week for them to just really be a kid, to not have to worry about being judged, and to know that they’re going to be taken care of,” said Cathy. “To these kids, camp really is the world.”