Camp Courage looks like any other summer outdoor camp. There is horseback riding, archery, ATV rides and organized games.
The only difference is that the kids and their families invited to Wyoming’s Camp Courage are battling cancer and other serious and life-threatening ailments.
Triton Fritz was just 6 when he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, and 8 when he first attended camp.
He had a blast, and his parents and three siblings were able to attend Camp Courage twice before Triton succumbed to his cancer in 2022.
During that time, they had built memories that his mom, Jessica, said the family will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
“It was just a carefree time where parents and kids didn't have to dwell on cancer,” Fritz said. “It was refreshing to be able to travel somewhere just to play.”
Shantae Smith agrees.
Camp Courage has been a chance for her family to be able to relax and meet other families who are dealing with childhood illnesses. It has shown her that she is not alone.
Smith’s son, Mikey, was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was just six. Part of the tumor is inoperable, and Mikey is dealing with complications from his first surgery.
He is now 9, and his family is grateful for the memories they are creating at camp.
“We are just going about life, enjoying it for as long as we possibly can,” Smith said. “Camp is kind of a break from life. You're still doing meds in your normal life, but you're also having fun that you don't have to pay for.”
Mikey Smith has an inoperable brain tumor, but at Camp Courage he can just have fun being a kid. (Courtesy Shantae Smith) 
Shantae Smith poses at Camp Courage with her three young children, Mikey, Kinsley and Ella. Mikey was diagnosed with a brain tumor and the family is grateful to be able to just have fun together at camp. (Courtesy Shantae Smith) 
Fishing at Camp Courage is a favorite activity among campers who are all dealing with some form of cancer or tumors. Mikey Smith, right, has an inoperable brain tumor and said he's excited to return to camp in August. (Courtesy Shantae Smith)
Camp Designed For Fun
Director Christine Robinson said Camp Courage Wyoming, founded in 2012, is hosted at Crooked Creek Guest Ranch in Dubois and was created to be a fun retreat for the entire family, not just for children who have cancer or tumors.
“The purpose of camp was to bring Wyoming families together who are dealing with childhood cancer,” Robinson said. “It’s a chance for them to get away and just be kids and be a family without the hustle and bustle of appointments, doctors and hospitals.”
Triton, according to his mom, was more than happy to be away from the hospital visits and especially enjoyed the archery and horseback riding. He caught frogs and ran around camp, exploring and playing.
The camp counselors also understand that the kids may be limited on what they can do.
“Triton was receiving chemo treatments the second time we went,” Fritz said. “But he still wanted to go even though he fell asleep on the side by side over rough roads, bouncing around.”
Camp runs for three days, beginning on a Friday and campers heading home on Monday morning. During that time, the entire family is treated to entertainment each night.
Byron Gray, a Wyoming magician, makes a special appearance, and creative projects such as tie-dying shirts are encouraged.
“Sometimes the kids would branch off to just play with each other,” Fritz said. “They never set around talking about their cancer, but it was just more of a mutual understanding that all of the kids were dealing with it.”
Just Being Kids
Smith said that not only does Mikey love to fish and ride horses at camp, but he was also able to get some independence he normally does not get at home and at the hospital.
“The first time we went, all he wanted to do was just go and be away from mom, which is great because he's around me 24/7,” Smith said.
When campers first arrive at camp, a welcome party is thrown. Newcomers are shown around by those who attended before and campers are told what activities are available for their long weekend of fun.
“Kids aren't forced to participate in any of the activities,” Fritz said. “It's completely optional. There's arts and crafts for the kid who just wants to paint rocks or do something along that line. It just depends on the kids age and their interest, but they have something for everybody.”
When Triton heard about the camp, he was eager to go and was most excited about riding horses because it was something he had never done before.
“He loved the fact that his dad was so scared of horses,” Fritz said. “Triton wanted to show his dad how brave he was and go on the trail.”
Not Alone
Another great aspect for families, according to Smith, is that there are enough volunteers that not only can the campers do an activity of their choice, but parents could feel free to get some much-needed rest, knowing that all their children were in safe hands.
As the campers and their siblings play hide and seek, run around on scavenger hunts and play with each other, the parents are invited to mingle with other each other as well.
“The parents are pretty entertained just because there's other adults they can talk to,” Fritz said. “This is a camp for the whole family. Parents, siblings and grandparents of the child that has or had cancer.”
On Saturday, according to Robinson, the volunteers take all the children and allow for the parents to have an hour and a half by themselves without the kids in the lodge.
“It is a time to just network and kick back while we take all the kids and do activities,” Robinson said. “We keep them busy to keep them away from their parents so they can have that time to just enjoy a social hour.”
As a result of this focus, both Fritz and Smith have formed bonds that have continued beyond Camp Courage.
“I'm still in touch with a lot of the people that I met through Camp Courage that understand the trials that I’m dealing with on a personal level,” Fritz said. “They're more than just empathetic. They actually understand because they're going through the same or similar circumstances.”
This summer, Smith and her family are heading to Camp Courage again and while her girls are looking forward to the bouncy house and Mikey is excited about fishing, she is looking forward to meeting new parents facing the same challenges as she is.
“We met some really good lifelong friends our first time going to camp,” Smith said. “I know we'll meet more families that we will connect to this time, too.”
After he lost his son Jason to cancer, Rocky Eades’ friends formed a foundation to help other families financially in Wyoming when faced with childhood cancer and tumors. Eades is pictured here with Mikey Smith on a horse. (Courtesy Shantae Smith) 
Camp Courage is a special camp for kids and their families dealing with cancer. While planned activities are fun, sometimes the most fun time are the unplanned ones. Triton, right, who was diagnosed with cancer at age 6, catches frogs with his little brother Derek at the camp. It are these memories that are so valuable to his family since Triton passed away from his cancer in 2022. (Courtesy Jessica Fritz) 
Camp Courage is a camp for Wyoming kids and their families who are battling cancer and tumors. It is a chance to just have fun as a family and not worry about the next hospital visit. (Courtesy Camp Courage) 
ATV riding is a favorite activies among campers at Camp Courage, a camp devoted to serving Wyoming kids with cancer and tumors. (Courtesy Camp Courage)
Jason’s Friends
Camp Courage is completely free for participants and is a part of Jason’s Friends, an organization devoted to helping children and their families who are dealing with childhood cancer.
Robinson said that it was founded in honor of Jason Eades, a 9-year-old Casper boy that was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor.
“Families watched what they went through,” Robinson said. “There's a loss of income and financial stress that goes along with it.”
Jason lost his battle with the cancer and passed away on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, 1995. In honor of his memory and to help others, Jason’s Friends was founded the following year and has been helping families ever since.
There are 176 Wyoming families in the program who have a child with cancer or brain or spinal cord tumors. Since 1996, it has financially assisted families with over $8.6 million.
Keeping Connected
The program does not stop for the children and their families when they are in remission and neither do the connections with each other.
The Smith family have become great friends with another family they met at Camp Courage and are in communication nearly every day.
“We root for each other's kids when they do big things,” Smith said. “Her kiddo is finally in remission, and we celebrated with her. And every time Mikey's in the hospital or doing something big, without fail, they're there for us too.”
This is one of the main goals that staff hope the achieve by hosting Camp Courage every August.
“Camp Courage is about bringing those families together for a weekend of just no worry and enjoying the time together,” Robinson said. “We want them to know that they're not alone and that there are a lot of other Wyoming families going through the same thing.”
The campers attending Camp Courage are in all stages of their battle with cancer and tumors.
While some are in beginning of their journeys, there are others who have been in remission for years that still come and forge new friendships and memories.
“Jason's friends are in it for the long haul,” Robinson said. “Once they're enrolled in our program, they are in it until they turn 21 or leave the state.”
As Smith prepares for another trip to camp, she said that it is so worth the four-hour drive from Casper to Dubois.
“It's an unfortunate club to be in,” Smith said. “But then you definitely have to be an amazing human to be in it.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
