MONTANA CAMP HELPS PATIENTS ON THEIR CANCER JOURNEYS By David Lundquist W hen cancer patients are hurting, it often helps to have a special place to go to rest and speak with others who relate to their struggles. Camp Mak-A-Dream is such a place. For the past two decades, it has helped bring peace and comfort to cancer patients and their families, including Rachel Halbur of Litchfield, Minn. Rachel was just 3 months old when her 2-year-old sister Cara was diagnosed with brain cancer. “My earliest memories are the many, many trips from our home to clinics and hospitals as my sister and I grew up.” Over her brief life, Cara had periods when she was healthy, Rachel says, but she never was in remission. “She loved having long hair, but that wasn’t an option for her because of her treatments. She tried to embrace the peach-fuzz hair she had left into a little Mohawk, but she missed her hair.” > Rachel Halbur holds a picture of herself and her sister Cara, who attended a week of camp for brain cancer patients in 2009, before dying the following year. At her mother’s suggestion, Rachel attended sibling camp to help her deal with issues around her sister’s battle with cancer. Rachel has volunteered at the camp, too, and this summer will mark her third year as a camp counselor. Your CHS Connection 25