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Kids battling illness going to summer camp

Posted at 6:03 PM, Jun 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-17 18:03:50-04

Moms and dads hugging and shedding an occasional tear, are saying goodbye to their kids. But this is a happy day after so many tough ones. Many of these children are battling cancer.

For one week the kids will be at Boggy Creek Camp in Central Florida, enjoying fun activities and just being kids.

It's a distraction from hospital visits and treatments.

Peter Caufield, who is 13 years old, battled kidney cancer. He's now in remission. "It's pretty fun. you do stuff and you meet new friends. You have a lot of fun," he says. Peter looks forward to the camp every year,
"It's kind of like you meet and you have a click because you know what they have been through."
 
He was diagnosed with kidney cancer almost 10 years ago. His father, also called by the same name, Peter Caufield told us,"He had his right kidney taken out and it was growing into his liver. So they took out part of his liver he went through a year of intensive chemo and radiation."

After having breakfast, parents hugged their kids before getting on the bus. West Palm Beach Police was ready to escort them through Palm Beach County to help the kids feel like celebrities.

The Pediatric Oncology Support Team, also called POST, organized the summer camp trip for the kids.

Dr. Barbara Abernathy with POST said, "When you child has cancer, you need as much support as you can get. And so for us it's an emotional experience for us to be able to send them off to camp and and to see them so excited about something."

The children will return next Thursday.