One of the most heart-wrenching problems a parent can ever deal with is a serious injury to a child. Even once they're past the initial trauma and treatment, many children will still have long-term issues, such as rehabilitation, dealing with changes to their bodies such as scars, and learning how to feel "normal" again.

A local camp sponsored by the pediatric burn center of Cincinnati's Shriners Hospitals for Children aims to help children recovering from serious burns to do just that. Camp Ytiliba ("ability" spelled backward), which is part of the YMCA's Camp Kern, hosts campers from across the country. Kids aged 9 to 16 who are suffering from burn injuries can come to the camp each summer to enjoy a sleep-away camp experience with other kids who understand how they're feeling.

"It's just the feeling of being normal," said one camper, an athletic 14-year-old who was wearing T-shirt to hide some of his burn scars. "Everybody's the same."

This year's group of campers included 45 young people from 17 states. Some of the children's injuries occurred long ago, while others happened more recently. Some of the burn scars are easily hidden by clothing, while other kids are missing fingers or ears.

At Camp Ytiliba, those differences don't matter.

"Here, they're just a kid," a child life specialist at Shriners and one of 14 camp counselors told reporters. "They don't worry about their burn injuries. They don't worry about their appearance. They get to hang out with other kids who've been through the same thing."

"I just like hanging out with friends," agreed another 14-year-old camper, who survived a plane crashing into his house four years ago. "It's kind of cool to talk to people who've gotten burned. Some people feel like they're the only one."

All of the expenses, including transportation, are covered by donations. And, while this year's camp is over, lifelong bonds between the campers may help them feel less isolated by their nicks and scars during the rest of the year.

"We're no different than anybody else. We're just people with scars. You just have to look through them and see the person."

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer, "Burn camp allows kids to 'just be normal'," John Johnston, June 10, 2011