Earlier this year, we were lucky enough to attend the "Experience Camp Purple Live for a Day" program.

My son, Rafael, had only recently turned 9 and wasn’t quite ready to do the full camp, so this was the perfect way to give him a taster of what the camp was like. 

It was the most heart-warming experience, and I came away feeling so grateful for all the wonderful people that make this camp possible. 

As all IBD parents will know, it can feel quite isolating and overwhelming when your child is diagnosed with a disease such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. So, turning up to Camp Purple and being surrounded by children and teenagers (all with IBD) having the absolute time of their life was so inspiring and rewarding, both for my son and myself. There was just a small group of us on the one-day experience, which meant we were really able to chat and get to know each other. I hadn’t anticipated how valuable it would be to simply chat to other parents who were going through the same thing - something I have never been able to do until now. 

We were also lucky enough to spend time with doctors and nurses who specialise in IBD. I found the parents’ session with Professor Andrew Day so helpful, having the opportunity to ask any questions we wanted about Crohn's and colitis, while our kids were off having a blast with their new friends. 

The most rewarding part of the day was watching my son having the most amazing time. Watching all the camp teams dress him up from head to toe in colourful accessories as they included him in all of their teams. Hearing him openly chat with other kids and teens about all the things that only IBD kids can understand. Finally, he was able to hang out with other kids who were “just like him”. Then there were the several days afterwards where he was absolutely buzzing telling all his family members about the “best day ever at Camp Purple!”  

Message from Rafael:

My name is Rafael and I have Crohn’s disease. I had never met another person with Crohn’s until I heard about Camp Purple Live. I went to the Camp Purple one-day experience to see what it was like. 

When I first got there, I was a bit scared but then everybody was friendly and welcomed me. 

My favourite part was going down the water slide, watching people get dunked, and eating their yummy food. It was nice to be with other people that have Crohn’s and colitis so I could talk to them about it and they could understand what I meant. I can’t wait to do the full camp next year and see all my new friends again! 

By Rafael Featherstone - Age 9.