Heart camp sounds simple until you hear what it gives back: a place where scars are normal, bathroom breaks on diuretics are understood, and nobody has to explain the basics of living with a congenital heart defect. We sit down with two powerful voices in the CHD community to talk about how camps create belonging and confidence for kids, teens, and adults who often grow up feeling like they are the only one.
Shelagh Ross, a lifelong CHD patient and global advocate, walks us through Beat Retreat Camp in Ontario, Canada, a rare adult congenital heart disease camp that mixes classic camp fun with real-world support. We get into the activities, the unexpected friendships, and the anonymous Q&A with cardiac professionals where people can ask “private” questions without embarrassment. Shelagh also explains the behind-the-scenes challenges: funding, insurance, travel across a huge province, and the effort it takes to staff a medically safe weekend for adults who may be managing repeat surgeries, devices, or heart failure.
Margaret Raymond, a CHD patient and longtime Camp Meridian volunteer, shares how this New Hampshire heart camp serves ages 8 to 17 with youth, teen, and navigator programs built around adventure, self-advocacy, and mental health. We talk accessibility, meeting campers where they are, and why learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable can change a young person’s entire relationship with anxiety and independence.
If this conversation sparks something in you, share it with a CHD family, consider supporting a heart camp, and subscribe so you do not miss what comes next. If you found value here, please leave a review and tell us what kind of heart camp story you want to hear.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Camp Meridian: https://www.campmeridian.org/
Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance: https://cchaforlife.org/
Facebook Page for The Beat Retreat: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebeatretreatcamp/
Hearts Unite the Globe's Camp page: https://www.heartsunitetheglobe.com/camps
Camp Joy: https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/institute/heart/clinical/patient-resources/family-camp
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