Hayden Piterski was born with one less hand and Cameron Clapp lost “both my legs above the knee, and my right arm – almost to the shouder”.
They’ll tell you – they don’t mind. After all, its called Camp No Limits.
The camp travels around the country and brings together kids of all ages who have lost a limb, and their families, through teaching, playing, and talking.
Grad student Courtney Miller was behind bringing the camp to Connecticut. Clapp was a camper first, and now he’s a mentor.
"Through mentorship we really can educate all of the campers – give them self-esteem, teach them to be themselves, and have a lot of fun," he said. "To be comfortable with who they are, even with a limb difference."
As camp went on, campers talked about their challenges, shared their stories, and learned from each other. They had fun, they laughed, and then you realized - it was just another camp.
Matthew Torres may be missing a leg, but that didn’t stop him from riding a bike for the first time. He's confident and committed. He wants to study bionics when he grows up and help others like him.
“There has to be some way – instead of like just having an attachment of a missing limb, attach it to your body and use it using brain signals,” he said.
That’s the point to Camp No Limits – bringing kids and their families together to show that drive, determination, motivation and support can fill a void brought with a missing limb.
