Camping with Emily Gee

by Susan Neale and Ella Gomez

“I know this sounds nerdy, but I love learning,” said honors nursing student Emily Gee. While she spends “an inordinate time” studying, she’s also careful to carve out time for another passion: Camp Kesem.

Camp Kesem is a special summer camp for kids ages 6-18 who have a parent with cancer or have lost a parent to cancer. In her first year at Ohio State, Emily joined the campus organization, Kesem at The Ohio State University, and last year she became a Camp Kesem counselor. Students at the Ohio State chapter run their own camp and raise funds so that campers can attend for free. Emily, who was in charge of fundraising for the group this year, says each member tries to raise $1,000 through several events. If you see her organizing a formal gala or running a pop-up thrift shop on the Oval, you’ll know why.

She described being a Camp Kesem counselor as an interesting balance between having a lot of fun and feeling empowered by working with other college students as part of a caring team. “And you’re also around the kids who are going through so much in their lives, yet they can put on a brave face and they can have some fun. It’s really fun getting to see them live their childhood.”

“I feel personally connected to this organization because I lost my dad to cancer when I was 15,” Emily explained. “I know what these kids are going through.” For her, the hopelessness and isolation she felt as a child seemed insurmountable. “It’s a hard position to be in when you’re so young. It was really healing for me to see these kids get support from other kids.” 

Sometimes the camp pushed her out of her comfort zone, with activities like leading campers on a high ropes course. “I’m unbalanced and I don’t like heights, but that was a lot of fun,” she joked. She enjoyed the camp “fashion show,” even though the campers painted her blue for it, and had a blast at the camp’s “Messy Games,” a camp-wide activity in a field with a pile of donated items like silly string, shaving cream and paint. “Everybody rushes, grabs supplies, and starts attacking each other. I like to think of it as a safe Hunger Games.” 

On a special day called “Empowerment,” kids get to share their experiences with their parents’ cancer, write letters to lost parents and really open up about what they’re going through. After a day of intense emotions and bonding, “we have empowerment hour,” Emily said, with a DJ and glowsticks so campers can end the day on a high note and “bring the energy up.”

Emily is a bit sad that she can’t be a counselor at Kesem this summer, but very excited about her summer externship in Cleveland Clinic’s post-op transplant unit, close to her home in Richfield, Ohio. She plans to continue being active in Ohio State’s Kesem organization as she pursues her nursing degree.

Scholarship giving

The scholarship Emily receives pays half of her tuition. It was created by a family with two generations of Buckeye Nurses who wanted to give back. You can create a scholarship to honor someone in your family, to express your gratitude to the college, or to help a student like Emily achieve her nursing dreams.

To learn more, contact:

Courtney Shaul
Senior Director of Development
shaul.8@osu.edu
614-688-1086

Or visit nursing.osu.edu/giving/ways-give.