Adam is a Shriners Children’s Ohio patient alumnus and now a counselor at Camp Ytiliba (“ability” spelled backward), a summer camp for Shriners Children’s burn survivors. Here, Adam reflects on his journey — from patient in 1998 to an alumni volunteer today.
“I am blessed because Shriners Children’s saved my life, not once, but twice. My burn injury happened just shy of my 12th birthday. My teen years were filled with reconstructive surgeries, long recoveries and emotional battles. My final surgery was at 19. When it was done, I thought, “This chapter is over. Now what?”
But life, as it often does, opened a door when I needed it most.
I enrolled in cosmetology school and offered services to patients and families at Shriners Children’s, where I ran into someone who had been a junior counselor at Camp Ytiliba when I had been a camper. They asked if I would provide beauty services for the kids’ dance performance at camp. That simple invitation sparked a new purpose in my life.
I wasn’t just giving back. I was reconnecting with the very community that helped build me. What started as an act of service on dance night turned into a week-long commitment where I get to be [for someone else] the person I needed all those years ago. Without doubt, it is my favorite week of the year.
We often think healing is about getting back to who we were. But I’ve learned healing is about becoming someone new — stronger, more compassionate, more open to purpose.
None of this would’ve been possible without the love and support of Shriners Children’s, and the power of a community that refuses to give up on its own.”
