Local ranch gives relaxation and relief to moms of kids with cancer

One local ranch is bringing some relief to moms whose children are battling cancer.

“When you get a kid that’s diagnosed with cancer and you feel really alone, and then you come here and you realize, I’m not alone,” Camille Ashcraft, one of the mom’s attending the retreat, said. “In fact, I’ve met so many amazing people because of such a tragedy that happened. And it ends up becoming a blessing.”

For the past seven years, Camp Magical Moments, Cancer Camp for Kids, has offered a retreat weekend for the moms. They pamper them with massages, facials and so much more. They not only get some relaxation, but each other as well.

“It is probably the most powerful camp we do,” Ann Walsh, Founder and Director or Camp Magical Moments, said. “The moms, they need to be able to have this family. And they need to have other mom’s who have gone through what they are going through, or have gone through, with a child with cancer.”

The weekend gives the moms a chance to take a break and focus on themselves.

“It means freedom from the life that I live day to day,” Ashcraft said. “It means, like, a chance to remember who I am and what I’m doing. That people know mee for being more than just the mom with a kid with cancer.”

Even with their stressful lives back home, the retreat gives moms a weekend of support.

“There’s just moments that are so touching,” Walsh said. “Just seeing the joy in the mom’s eyes, just how they can relax and how they can just talk to each other. Just seeing their joy and just their camaraderie that they have with each other.”

You can learn more about Camp Magical Moments here.