Life changed in an instant, when AJ was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2014 at age 7. His days became a routine of chemotherapy while he missed school and postponed dreams. For 3 ½ years, AJ bravely fought cancer, but the isolation weighed heavily on him.

Then, AJ’s family heard about Camp Quality (CQ). They were initially hesitate to send him to camp, “I thought the social worker was crazy to suggest I send my fragile, immunocompromised cancer kid to camp.” But soon, they realized that CQ was different.

From the moment AJ met his camp buddy, Phil, he felt at ease. According to his mom, “he was able to open up and tell his story to kids who knew exactly what he was going through. He felt heard (and supported) in a way that he hadn’t before. Since then, AJ has gone to every CQ event because they are his people.”

Recently, AJ’s younger brother, Nathaniel attended CQ as a sibling camper. “He came home unburdened because finally someone understood him as a sibling to the cancer kid, someone who has endured treatment from the outside but yet was intimately affected by his brother’s diagnosis, treatment and aftereffects,” their mom shared. “CQNJ has helped our family feel heard, seen, and connected to others like us in ways that we didn’t know we needed!”