JOURNAL CONSTITUTION

August 9, 2007

SIMS & ASSOCIATES, INC.

Disabled Kids Find Mentors, Fun At Camp In Warm Springs

By John Blake
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When the doctors told her, Joyce Sartin didn't know how to take it. Rare childhood disease. Amputation. What would Marcus say?

All she could do in that moment was go into a room and cry. That's when Marcus, her then-7-year-old son, came to her and consoled her instead.

"Just let them do the operation," he said quietly. "I want new feet."

That exchange took place seven years ago, she said. Not only does her son now have new feet but he has a new attitude. The Marietta mother said her son's transformation was made possible by the Amputee Coalition of America Youth Camp in Warm Springs.

Most kids go to camps for fun. But young amputees like Marcus go to escape their social isolation. For those brief moments in the sun, they no longer feel like outcasts. They don't have to ignore stares, endure jokes or explain. They can just be kids.

The camp provides youths with missing limbs with educational outings, sports, adult-amputee mentors and, most importantly, other kids who know exactly what they're going through. The time is brief. The weeklong summer camp charges $500 per kid, but it offers scholarships. Up to 60 percent of the kids who attend are on scholarship, said Derrick Stowell, youth activities program director.

"For them, coming to camp is a wonderful experience," Stowell said. "It's very difficult for another kid in school to understand what they're dealing with."

Marcus' mother understands. Her son is now 14, a difficult time for any kid. "He told me one day, 'Mom, I like girls but I'm not sure they're going to like me,' " she said.

But she said she's been inspired by the resolve he's shown from the moment he was told his feet should be amputated. A rare form of childhood meningitis that cut off circulation to his feet made the decision necessary, she said.

Marcus reacted to his misfortune with sturdy self-reliance. He insists on putting on his own prosthesis. He checks himself for the pressure sores that afflict some amputees. And he tells doctors without prompting if something is wrong.

"From the day I brought him from the hospital, I wanted to help, but I never had to do it," she said. "He really doesn't see himself as disabled. He's always wanted to do it himself."

Now, Marcus wants to help others. He wants to be a doctor. His hero is Benjamin Carson, the African-American brain surgeon at John Hopkins University in Baltimore and author of the book "Gifted Hands."

"I tell him it doesn't matter if you have a disability," his mother said. "You'll always have your mind."