Lily Wilkinson (Left), Evette Ronner (Right), in the Kirkland Dhall.
Evette Ronner and Lily Wilkinson are both juniors studying HDRB, with similar plans of going to medical school and pursuing a career in medicine after graduation. But another thing that they have in common are that they are co-directors of Camp Kesem at Harvard College, a program that takes up most of their extracurricular time. Camp Kesem’s mission is to provide a free week of summer camp–a free week of fun to kids whose parents suffer from cancer. It’s an opportunity for them to leave behind some of the confusion and anxiety that they suffer due to their parents illness.
Ronner, who hails from Brookline, Massachusetts, has expressed a definitive interest in working with kids; while she is not exactly sure of the medical specialty she will pursue, she has no doubt that they will involve children. “I love working with kids,” she laughs, “and I enjoy science. So I thought that this was a great way to combine my passions.” Camp Kesem similar to pediatrics, is all about paying attention to the overlooked, and listening to those who might not be heard. “I think this is a really important cause, because the children of cancer patients often are overlooked, and they need a lot of support and love too,” she says, “so this is a really great program that can focus just on the kids, and allow them to have a great summer camp experience without having to worry about their parents at home or any other stresses.”
“I couldn’t have said it better,” Wilkinson smiles.
Unlike Ronner, Wilkinson, who is from North Platte, Nebraska, is perfectly sure of her career path. “I want to be an oncologist,” she declares, without a shred of hesitation. But being a doctor was not always her plan. Wilkinson’s decision to become an oncologist is highly motivated by the loss of a family member. “My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer when I was fourteen,” she explains, “so I spent a lot of time in the oncology unit in a hospital back in my hometown; I actually spent so much time there that the doctors let me continue to stay there and shadow them. I actually still shadow them when I go back.” She pauses, then begins again. “Every time I shadow there I don’t want to leave.”
Wilkinson and Ronner also enthusiastically go by Dory and Nemo, respectively, and they often even refer to each other as such; Camp Kesem features each camper and counselor giving themselves a moniker known as a camp name. It not only preserves the confidentiality of each camper, but also gives them the opportunity to express their uniqueness and individuality. Some have no trouble at all deciding on this new name. Wilkinson chose the name Dory because of her love for the friendly and forgetful palette surgeonfish. “When I was a kid, it was my favorite movie, I could quote every word that Dory says, and when people brought up Finding Nemo, I would start speaking in whale…it’s still kind of embarrassing.”
Others don’t find inspiration as easily. Ronner describes, “I had a really hard time deciding what my camp name was going to be, and then after talking to Dory, one of us mentioned Nemo, and I thought it would kind of cute to do like a duo name, so I just went with Nemo.”
Some of their favorite names camp names include Shark Bait (consistent with our Finding Nemo theme), Martian Manhunter, and Ghostbusters.
But all fun and games aside, starting up a new chapter of Kesem at Harvard was not an easy process. Wilkinson recalls the very beginnings of Kesem’s birth: “When I came to Harvard, I found that the type of community that Camp Kesem fosters was missing from Harvard campus. I really wanted to find a way to bring together a bunch of college students who loved singing camp songs and playing games and weren’t afraid to be silly and really wanted to give back to kids, um, basically I was looking for a family at Harvard who was as much a kid as I was.” Sophomore year, she applied to bring a Kesem chapter to Harvard, and received a phone call one day from Camp Kesem International that fortunately, there was a willing donor who was able to help get the program started. “And it was history from there,” she concludes.
Ronner also applied to become a director, and finds deep and personal meaning in the mission of Camp Kesem. Having lost her father to terminal brain cancer when she was just six years old, Ronner has been in the shoes of many of the Camp Kesem’s campers. “I definitely experienced firsthand a lot of the stress and anxiety associated with a sick parent who has cancer– I think that… I guess– it makes me want to give back to the kids who are in a similar situation as I was. Yeah. ”
Both Wilkinson and Ronner have seen their passion and their determination come to fruition. After becoming the co-directors of Camp Kesem Harvard, they have been working together ever since, and have become the dynamic duo, Dory and Nemo, just like their namesakes.
“I think one of our biggest challenges as a first year on campus is getting the name out on campus, uh, Camp Kesem has a pretty unique mission, so it takes time to explain to people what our mission is, and what we’re doing, and how people can get involved. So, one of biggest goals this year is to just spread the word, and get people interested and excited.”
So how can you help? You can apply to become a counselor if you’re a Harvard student, by helping spread the word, by volunteering your time, or by directly making donations. Camp Kesem Harvard has aspirations to host 30 kids this summer, and to continue to grow until they become like the massive Camp Kesem at our neighboring MIT. “We are excited and grateful for any donations,” they chime.
Ronner happily points to the caterpillar on her shirt that is symbolic of Camp Kesem, and eagerly turns around to exhibit the motto on the back. It reads, “Until there’s a cure, there’s a camp!”
Questions? Reach out to harvard@campkesem.org
Check out their website to donate or for more information: http://campkesem.org/harvard