For children living with cancer, some of the most meaningful moments can be the simplest ones: playing with family, making a memory, and having the chance to simply be a kid.
Long hospital stays and ongoing treatment disrupt ordinary life. Days that might once have been filled with school, games, family outings, and time with friends instead revolve around treatment, appointments, procedures, and long stretches away from home. Meanwhile, parents, caregivers, and siblings adjust to changes to everyday routines.
That’s why Camp Colors of Love, our SeriousFun camp in Vietnam, create space for much-needed play and connection.
Making Room for Childhood
Family Camp Day brings children living with cancer and their families together to play, connect, and make memories during treatment. Families play with parachutes, make stuffed bears, and take photographs together. Each program reaches roughly 150 children and their families across Ho Chi Minh City.
At one Family Camp Day, a grandmother whose grandson was receiving treatment for leukemia had one request for camp staff: take as many photographs of him as they could.
Soon, those photographs would travel with them back to the hospital and home as his treatment continued.
It was a simple request, but it captured something profound. In the middle of a long period of treatment, this family had moments together worth holding onto.
A Place to Play, Connect, and Simply Be Together
At Camp Colors of Love, families do not have to leave the realities of cancer behind to experience joy. Children get to play, caregivers get to laugh and join in, and siblings get to be part of the fun, too. For a little while, cancer is not the only thing happening.
“This was a very beneficial activity that helped the children relieve stress, especially those who have been hospitalized for a long time,” one parent shared.
These moments offer more than a good day. They bring connections, renewed energy, and hope during a difficult time.
Dr. Oanh, Medical Director at Camp Colors of Love, sees what these experiences can mean during treatment. “These experiences help children build inner strength during their treatment, and families will gain the motivation to continue on this long journey as they care for their children.”
For children living with cancer, childhood does not stop because treatment begins. And when so much of family life revolves around cancer, having space to play, make memories, and simply be together can change everything.