Medical Survivor Camp

Pirate43 · Post by **Pirate43** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:07 pm

I want to create a theme camp for next year. But I also am a camp of one. I'd like to recruit, at the same time- when I can't meet people, it makes it that much harder to feel okay about camping with them

but I suppose I'm into meeting any other passionat medical survivors, whoever they might be. (shrug)

I've never done a camp, but am familiar with how to construct a geodome, and own a parachute.. I'm not sure about getting stuff down there, but I guess I can figure that out.

I want to give it a try. Any comments??

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:28 pm

It looks like you are looking for people to camp with who have similar experiences as yourself more than you are interested in setting up an interactive theme camp. Nothing wrong with that but if you're hoping for more interest generated from this message board, you're going to have to give more information. If I were a cancer survivor reading your post, I'd see little reason to spend my time responding or looking deeper into your request. People reading your post know little to nothing about you. What types of things do you want to surround yourself at the burn in 08? Are loud generators ok? How about semi large sound systems? Drugs? Sex in your proposed dome? What are your other interests and experiences? Why are you a camp of one? Do you have no friends? Do you have trouble making friends?

So perhaps post a little more and hopefully you'll have luck finding people with related interests to start forming a camp with. I'm not convinced that people passionate about medical survivors will attract you many if any campmates but I'd love to know if I'm wrong about that.

Toolmaker · Post by **Toolmaker** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:17 pm

Booby Bar seemed to do OK with the cancer genre of folks. Mike is right though, you need to tell a little more about yourself and interests/rules for camp. Also do you want your camp to have any shared meals? Any particular night for a planned event? Camp fees for community stuff like private porta potties etc need to be addressed. Its best to have everything covered beforehand so there are "no surprises" once folks start showing up. Good luck with your camp plans.

pinemom · Post by **pinemom** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:41 am

Thanks ToolMaker!
Yes when one starts to "THINK" one might want to do a theme camp.
You must put all info about what your camp means.
We did that with a Burningman style mission statement kinda thingy majigger...
But most importantly, you must tell people EXACTLY what will be "expected"(rrr I didnt say that did I?)of them.

...the only "expectations" you should have of other people...is that they are there to burn, and no one has any right, to how they do their burn.
It is their burn!
So when doing a Theme camp my only suggestion to you is, make sure your new Theme camp members are completely aware, PRIOR to event what is "asked" of them to do on daily basis!

Pirate43 · Post by **Pirate43** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:53 pm

AWEsome guys, Thanks so much for your replies. It does confirm some things that were only vague thoughts in my head. I'm thinking I should put together a website, as many people do. But what I'm wondering too- is once I get a website up and running, how might I go about attracting visitors.
Any thoughts??

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:06 pm

Post on here and tribe and keep the link to your site as a signature. If it's only you and a couple others at the burn, put up a large flaming sign and you'll meet lots of interesting survivors and non-survivors.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:08 pm

Put the link in your .sig-file, write to JackRabbitSpeaks and tell them about your project, find a site that lists camp links, things like that.

So what did you have? I'm a two-year colon cancer survivor and I just battled my way through cataracts (that came up from chemo) and a detached retina.

Pirate43 · Post by **Pirate43** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:54 pm

wow awesome, I'm totallyl seeing how this could come together! THanks so much guys-

I'm a survivor of a childhood catheterization. I was four when they inserted a tube into my urethra to do an only marginally necessary test. I was torn internally, have blocked the memory, but suffered from fears around older women my entire life and for years couldn't make sense of it. It has really fucked with my ability to hold down a job as the phantom terror can be quite debilitating.

I think it is a very broad topic- as Michael Moore has shown, and commented that he had to really keep a narrow focus- he recieved zillions of letters.

more later

P43