Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

RANKIN INLET/WASHINGTON, D.C.
Rankin Inlet burn survivor Fabien Tatty, 15, returned home with a brighter outlook this past Sunday after spending a week at an International Burn Camp in Washington, D.C.

Fabien Tatty, right, of Rankin Inlet and his counsellor, Paul LaFrance of Winnipeg, join the International Burn Camp group in front of the U.S. Naval Academy in Washington, D.C., this past week.- photo courtesy of David Petruccelli

Funded by the International Association of Firefighters Charitable Foundation, the camp hosted 44 kids aged 13 to 15 from Sept. 21 to 28.

The camp helps burn survivors come to terms with their life-altering injuries.

Tatty had his arm badly burned by a pot of boiling water at a cabin when he was just two years of age.

A Grade 10 student at Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik, he wants to be a mechanic when he finishes school.

Tatty said the camp was a lot of fun.

He said there were great activities all week and he made a number of new friends.

"I had a long trip down, spending a few days in Winnipeg to get my passport and all the forms I needed, before I flew to Minneapolis and then, finally, Washington, D.C.," said Tatty.

"Washington was the biggest city I've ever been in and it was very, very hot.

"Camp helped me the most by letting me see other people who were burnt like me.

"Some of it was a bit more than I expected, but I still see them being happy and cheerful, getting to know each other, and wanting to live their life like a regular person, and that made a big impact on me."

Tatty said the campers got along well and everyone treated each other as equals, so it didn't matter to any of them what part of their bodies had been burned.

He said there are some things he's going to try to take from the camp and use in his everyday life in Rankin.

"The biggest message I got from the experience is to have confidence in yourself, and believe you can do anything any one else can do.

"You stop listening to what you can't do.

"I was really pumped when I was chosen by my previous burn camp in Canada to go to the Washington camp.

"I couldn't sleep for a couple of days waiting for it to arrive, and it was everything I had hoped for and more."

Assistant camp director and Portland, Maine, firefighter Rico Petruccelli said the camp has an amazing impact on the kids.

He said they really respond to the daily themes of citizenship, integrity, respect and responsibility.

"These kids build good relationships at camp and it gives them a larger network to access," said Petruccelli.

"The network Fabien was able to build here, with today's technology, gives him peers and resources he can reach out to.

"The experience really gives a good support circle to all these campers."

Petruccelli, who has spent about 12 years working with burn survivors, said the kids develop friendships that last long beyond the camp.

He said counsellors who attend the International Burn Camp also build networks, and take ideas back to their regional camps to expand their programs and opportunities for the kids.

"The relationships between the campers go on through Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media.

"It's an experience that stays with many of them for their entire lives."

Winnipeg firefighter Paul LaFrance has been involved with the regional burn camp, Camp Phoenix North, in Manitoba for the past 12 years, and was Tatty's counsellor at the International Burn Camp.

LaFrance said the whole idea behind burn camp is to bring the kids together with their peers, away from prying eyes.

He said his regional three-day camp moved to Moose Lake Camp on the border of Manitoba and Ontario this year, where the kids can take part in canoeing, archery, swimming and kayaking.

"I didn't get to know Fabien all that well at the regional camp, which he's attended, on and off, for the past 11 years," said LaFrance.

"I did get to know him a bit this past summer and was asked to chaperone him to the Washington camp.

"It was my honour and pleasure to go with Fabien, who's a charming young man.

"If I had a little brother, Fabien has all the qualities I'd wish my little brother to have."

While, technically, firefighters are only supposed to attend the international camp once, LaFrance escorted a female burn survivor 15 years ago.

He said the Washington camp is a fabulous experience.

"Fabien said it best, when it comes to the camp's impact, when he mentioned he will return home and feel like he can accomplish anything.

"He did come with a lot of confidence in his abilities, but he may have gone home to Rankin with a better appreciation of the world.

"I learned lots about his culture during our time together, too, and now I want to visit him one day.

"There's no doubt in my mind Fabien will obtain his goal of becoming a mechanic."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.