Emily’s Story

Emily, a Flying Horse Away camper and one of our biggest cheerleaders, passed away on August 8, 2009 after a 3-year battle with cancer.

Emily was a 12-year-old who loved to talk and had a huge smile. When asked about camp, she told story after story after story, all at a very rapid pace.

When Emily was ten, she was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a cancer that attacks the kidneys. After the diagnosis, life went from being overwhelming - having surgery the next day - to life-changing. Since her initial diagnosis and treatments, she had multiple relapses. She underwent countless hours of treatment at Cleveland’s Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. The illness had become a constant and daily part of Emily’s life, as well as her family’s.

Emily first learned about camp when she saw a poster at the hospital. Her doctors and nurses thought it would be a great way for her to focus on something other than all the medical treatments, something positive. In fact, the medical staff was so excited for Emily to go to camp that they worked her treatment around the camp dates.

From trying new things to meeting new friends, Emily enjoyed it all. “I was pretty homesick the first night,” Emily recalled. “But once I started to get involved in all the things we did, I got really busy and had so much fun that the time just flew by.”

Emily got a chance to do a lot of things she’d never done before. Camp introduced her to horseback riding where she felt like she just entered "a zone." Camp was so great that she returned again the following year, and she was able to use her experience and familiarity to be a support to the new kids.

Emily left a transforming impression on those around her, a legacy never to be forgotten. Her enthusiasm for getting the camp open translated to action. She will be sadly missed and very fondly remembered, especially her generous and infectious smile.

Emily’s Parents Testimonial

"Emily simply adored camp. It truly was a magical place for her; a place filled with fun, friends, activities, laughing, singing, acceptance and healing," said her father and Flying Horse Farms Board member, John Lewis. "Camp gave my daughter experiences that just could not be provided by hospitals, doctors, family or friends. Emily told me once that 'There's no best thing about camp, Dad, it's all good!' These feelings inpsired her to do everything she could to help breathe life into Flying Horse Farms, so that other children could enjoy the same wonderful experiences, right here in Ohio."

“Sending Emily to camp was a scary thing to do and at first and I was apprehensive. But then I realized that I needed to trust her doctors, who recommended that she go, and to also trust that the experience would be worth it,” recalls Emily’s mom, Debbie. “I can say without a doubt that it was worth it, for our entire family.”