A shared experience

FOMBELL – It was 2009 and Brianna Dulik, 6, was at a cousin’s birthday party, wearing a polyester dress and cotton sweatshirt. She was sitting outside in a chair when suddenly, she was thrown to the ground.
A firework that was set off nearby hit her in the lap, knocking her over.
Brianna was severely burned on her stomach and upper legs. Over the next few months, she would endure several skin graft surgeries and the discomfort of compression clothing.
She had nightmares.
Until she came to West Penn Burn Center summer camp for the first time. Then, the nightmares stopped.
“I knew I wasn’t alone anymore,” said Brianna, now 16. “Camp makes me feel like I’m not alone anymore.”
For 31 years, West Penn Burn Center has hosted a summer camp program for children who have suffered burn injuries. Held at YMCA’s Camp Kon-O-Kwee, the event was held June 2-6 for almost 20 campers from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, ages 10 to 16. With about 15 volunteers, including former campers who returned as counselors, they came together for “Making Magic Happen” camp, where they participated in wall climbing, canoeing, swimming, camp fires, disc golf, arts and crafts, volleyball and Quidditch tournaments, inspired by the game from the “Harry Potter” series.
Linda Leonard, camp director, said that campers form quick and deep friendships.
“I think that just to be with kids that are the same as them, with a similar experience, makes such a difference,” she said. “Almost all have visible scars of some kind. Here, they don’t have to worry about people staring.”
The annual summer camp, open to any child aged 17 and younger who has been treated at West Penn Burn Center, is designed to help children find confidence and belonging through events and activities.

Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Natalie Milcoff, 10, of Pittsburgh, gets chased during a Quidditch tournament during the camp.
Brianna, who has become an advocate for safety and refuses to attend events with unlicensed fireworks displays, said the experience really does help the campers grow.
“I used to feel like no one was like me. I was self-conscious about my stomach and legs,” she said. “But I don’t remember what it was like not to be burned. It made me who I am.”
She and other campers who are veterans show the younger campers the ropes.
“Younger kids don’t know what to expect,” she said. “We help them out.”
Younger doesn’t necessarily imply age. A camper who has a new experience being burned and is new to camp is also taken under the wings of their seniors.
One such camper, Sadie Gates, 14, of McDonald, was worried about her first camp experience, especially since she was sick and therefore late to camp by a day.
“But, everyone has been so awesome, and the counselors go above and beyond,” she said.
Sadie was burned in Oct. 2017, while at home.
Her parents were with her younger brothers at a practice and Sadie was hungry, so she heated up a bowl of stew in the microwave.

Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Sadie Gates, 14, of McDonald, was burned on her left arm. She said her first experience at camp was awesome.
Aware that it would be hot, Sadie put on oven mitts to retrieve the bowl, but it tipped and spilled onto her left arm. The pain was almost immediate. By the next morning, her arm was so red and swollen, her parents decided to take her to the emergency department. There, she was referred to West Penn’s Burn Center.
She wore a special garment on her arm for several months that helped prevent scarring.
“Even though my burn was so minimal, to have people stare and ask questions … no matter how comfortable you are, to have someone stare and ask questions, it weighs on you,” she said.
Like Brianna, Sadie believes the experience has shaped the person she has become, and she is grateful for the opportunity to attend the camp and participate in activities.
Brianna, who will enter tenth grade at Carmichaels High School in the fall, appreciates meeting people from all over the country who are like her.
“People don’t like to feel different, but that’s what makes you unique,” she said.

Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Campers, from left, Kristine Durkin, Tyaira Cobb and John House play in the Quidditch tournament.