Ondrášův Dvůr Lived the Olympics

ČSH

On a weekend in mid-July, counsellors, doctors, a nurse, physiotherapists, and most importantly 42 children gathered for the eighth time at the Beskid Mountains facility Ondrášův Dvůr to spend the traditional two weeks together at the summer hemophilia camp. This year's Olympic Games in London were a major event, and so our camp-wide game also had an Olympic theme. This was reflected in nearly every activity at the camp -- the counsellors represented the Olympic Committee, the children went to train at the training centre, health issues were handled by the sports physician, and carbohydrates, fats, and proteins were replenished by the athletes at the nutrition centre.

On the very first evening, after the annual welcome and introduction to the camp, the opening ceremony took place. The Olympic anthem was played, a flag symbolising the five continents was raised, and the 4 teams that competed against each other for the entire two weeks in individual disciplines were introduced -- Great Britain representing Europe, the USA for America, Japan representing Asia, and athletes from the Oceania island called Lollipopland.

A typical day began with the not-entirely-popular morning exercise, followed by breakfast and then the morning workshops -- something different was made every day, so by the end of camp the children had made beautiful masks, candles, dreamcatchers, and lanterns. During the morning, rehabilitation sessions also took place -- both group and individual. In the afternoon, it was always time for the stage game, in which athletes tried to win the most valuable medal for their country in various Olympic disciplines. At the end of camp, the final standings were then determined based on the number of medals won.

One evening saw the camp-wide show Talent LHT 2012. It was hosted by none other than Leoš Mareš (who, however, already saw himself at a disco in Frýdek), and during the show, more than one athlete also revealed a hidden cultural talent.

When it was not raining, we used the sports grounds -- we played floorball, in which a tournament was even organised, football, and badminton. Especially in the second week, when it was warm, we had great fun in the pool, because sometimes it was almost unbearable due to the heat.

Every week we left the camp for a day trip. On the first Wednesday, our destination was Trojanovice near Frenštát and the local go-kart track. We spent several hours there, so everyone could ride around the approximately 700-metre circuit several times, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it -- despite the weather, which at several moments turned the track almost into a water slide.

In the second week, we set out for some culture -- first we visited the Tatra Museum in Kopřivnice and in the afternoon we moved on to Štramberk, where we explored the historic centre and the Trúba Castle.

An interesting highlight of the camp was the visit of off-road triathlete Tomáš Slavata. One evening we talked with him about his sporting life and the difficult youth he had to overcome. Today, in addition to sport, he also devotes himself to activities for children from children's homes -- all his projects and a mention of our camp can be found at www.tomasslavata.cz.

Prophylaxis was also regularly carried out, and as every year, this year too several of the youngest children with hemophilia learned to independently administer their medication intravenously, which is one of the basic skills that children must learn so that hemophilia does not complicate their lives in the future. We would like to name Péťa Š., Perníček, and Jára with Pája! Keep it up, you are stars, boys!

This year, the children could see in practice what factor VIII or IX does when administered into their bodies. This was thanks to a device called a Coagulometer, which Bára Jordánová from the Children's Hospital Brno brought to the camp for one day. Blood samples were taken from the children before and after administering the medication, and the test results showed the change in coagulation times corresponding to the factor level in their blood. Everyone thus gained a more precise understanding of why we administer the medication in the first place.

On the last evening, the camp-wide game was evaluated and the winners announced. In honour of the most successful country, the British anthem was even played, and after the official closing of the games, the athletes and their support teams moved on to the closing party, where everyone savoured the echoes of the 1st Summer Hemophilia Olympics 2012. The Olympic relay then moved from Ondrášův Dvůr for the next two weeks to London...

Thanks to the truly packed programme, all the children had fun, got to play sports, left perhaps a little healthier thanks to the rehabilitation sessions, and hopefully a little more educated about hemophilia. But everyone certainly found new friends or strengthened old friendships here. What the camp left in us was shown by the tears on the faces of children and adults alike on Saturday morning at departure... Summed up in one sentence: Another camp that, thanks to the work of the counsellors, medical staff, and physiotherapists, was carried out so successfully that everyone left absolutely satisfied.

Great thanks also go to our sponsors Bayer, Baxter, Grifols, Moneta Money Bank, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Sobi, Sysmex and all others for their material and financial donations.