Pediatric Oncologist Takes on New Role: Helping Kids Have Fun at Summer Camp

Dr. Karen Chao is the medical director for Camp Okizu, a sleepaway camp for children with cancer and their families

S’mores, kayaking, ropes courses, archery, and the freedom of time in the woods, away from all the stresses of everyday life. These sleepaway camp staples might be inaccessible to kids navigating pediatric cancer, were it not for Camp Okizu.

At camp, a team of expert volunteers helps kids who are still receiving cancer treatment and childhood cancer survivors to stay safe and healthy while enjoying new adventures and connecting with other kids who truly understand what they’ve experienced.

Karen Chao, MD, is one of those volunteers. This summer, the pediatric oncologist spent her first summer as the camp’s medical director after two years of volunteering in other roles.

“It’s a great way for me to see kids who are going through treatment or off treatment just be kids again,” she said. “It’s very healing for them to be out in nature, away from the watchful eye of parents and caregivers, but still have medical supervision and counselors to keep them safe. It’s a really special place where you can be who you want to be and not be reminded of the realities of what’s going on at home.”

For Arian, a camper and a patient at the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, the best part of Camp Okizu is the opportunity to make new friends.

“At Camp Okizu everyone is accepted, and everyone belongs,” he said. “It’s a place where no one judges you. It’s the best place to make the chillest friends.”

To make this magical experience possible, the Okizu team starts with a campsite that keeps the unique needs of the campers in mind, from paved paths to lots of cabins for kids with fragile immune systems.

The camp is staffed by a team of counselors, many of whom either went through cancer treatment or are a sibling of someone who did, and a medical team that includes at least one pediatric oncologist. Campers who still need oral chemotherapy during camp can safely receive their meds.

As medical director, Dr. Chao also works to ensure that as many kids as possible can attend camp while staying safe.

In addition to weeklong sessions of camp for kids receiving treatment and survivors, the camp also offers special sessions for their siblings.

“It’s such a wonderful experience for the siblings to have an outlet when they don’t necessarily get that at home,” Dr. Chao said. “It’s really important to give them the space to process their complicated feelings about their sibling going through treatment and what that means for them.”

This year at camp, Dr. Chao worked alongside Melissa Milan, a longtime Okizu volunteer and nurse at the Bass Center. She also recognized several patients she has treated at Stanford.

“You can still use your skills to help kids but witness them in such a different way than they are when they’re in the hospital,” she said. “It provides me some balance: What I do to save their lives makes them miserable, but this is one way to help them live their lives outside of the hospital. It’s great to see them on the other side of it.