My late nana, my Uncle Jeff, and my dad were all counselors at Camp Calumet, “the Lutheran camp for everyone”. It is my favorite place to go to every summer and I have a very special place in my heart for it. Nana discovered the camp and passed it down to all of our family. I will forever be thankful that she has done that.After an awesome summer at camp, my friends and I scheduled a winter reunion at camp. Two months before the reunion, Nana went to the doctor and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I was really scared, but I had some hope. I didn’t know how fast it would take her. A day before the reunion, my dad and I went to the small yellow house that my dad had grown up in and walked into a sleeping, drugged up skeleton of a human. Nana mumbled something about her not wanting us to see her like this. In all honesty, I didn’t want to see her like that either. When the hospice nurse came in, she told us that Nana had one day left. We said our goodbyes and as soon as my dad and I got into the car, I broke down. It was one of the scariest things I’ve seen. After the reunion, my dad told me that Nana had died. As devastating as it was, I was one of the few that was able to see her before her death and I am so thankful for that. Nana was always a big supporter of camp and went with my family every summer. I always associate the joy of camp with my memories of Nana. I believe her spirit is still soaking up the sun at camp. Nana’s soul is in Camp Calumet and so is mine. 

– SH

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant