Discover the magic of Camp Watchme, a summer camp dedicated to children with lymphedema. Founded by Betty Westbrook in collaboration with Brylan’s Feat Foundation(BFF), this unique camp offers a safe, supportive environment where families can bond over shared experiences. With personalized guidance from Certified Lymphedema Therapists and the camaraderie of Patient Advocate Leaders, campers enjoy education and play while forming unforgettable memories. Join us in exploring how Camp Watchme transforms lives, offering a haven where kids feel seen, celebrated, and understood.
Transforming Lives at Camp Watchme
When you envision the most wonderful place on earth, what comes to mind? Is it adventure parks, serene displays of nature, or somewhere filled with loved ones? Perhaps it’s lymphedema treatment and education? If that last option didn’t resonate, you simply haven’t experienced Camp Watchme yet! Allow me to introduce you to this extraordinary experience.
Hello, I’m Betty Westbrook, and Camp Watchme is my passion project. In 2019, I envisioned a summer camp where parents could take a break from their caregiver roles and simply enjoy being parents, while children could be free from their patient identities and just be kids. I soon connected with Brylan’s Feat Foundation, and together we’ve created a truly magical place. Brittany Williams, the founder of Brylan’s Feat Foundation, launched her nonprofit in her daughter’s name to help other parents seeking pediatric compression garments. Today, BFF proudly hosts the only summer camp in North America dedicated to children with lymphedema.
Each summer, around 30 children aged 5 to 17 travel with their families to enjoy four nights filled with lymphedema education and nostalgic camp activities. The key to our camp’s success, apart from our generous sponsors and donors, is the incredible volunteers who offer their time, talents, and even their sleep to support these families. The bonding begins as soon as families and volunteers arrive at the airport. For example, in the summer of 2021, one camper arrived with her mom and spotted a boy wearing knee-high compression socks with his shorts. Without hesitation, she asked her mom if she had packed some shorts. After her mom confirmed, she excitedly rushed to change into her shorts for the first time in years! This is the power of community. It doesn’t always take words or grand gestures; sometimes, it’s simply the comfort of being around others who truly understand your struggles. That young girl now proudly wears her full leg compression while performing in musicals and theater. The boy, who later developed bilateral lymphedema, continues to wear his compression while playing basketball!
At Camp Watchme, families are paired with a Certified Lymphedema Therapist to provide support throughout camp. This setup allows parents to ask questions they might hesitate to bring up in a clinical environment while receiving consistent, personalized guidance on the principles of Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT). Daily activities include wearing compression (both day and night), receiving manual lymph drainage, logging circumference measurements, completing skincare routines, and, of course, PLAYING—HARD!
Education sessions for both parents and children are facilitated by various volunteers at camp. Each activity is led and supervised by Patient Advocate Leaders (PALs), ensuring parents hear insights from some of the most knowledgeable lymphedema therapists while their children create lasting memories with PALs who have also grown up with lymphedema. The presence of PALs at Camp Watchme is invaluable—many lymphedema patients spend their lives without ever meeting another child with the same condition, and they realize they are not alone.
Describing the Camp Watchme experience as life-changing is an understatement. Kids, parents, and volunteers eagerly anticipate summer, as it truly is a magical time. Mother Teresa once said, “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” As long as Camp Watchme exists, there will always be a safe, welcoming space for kids to feel seen, celebrated, and understood.
To learn more about Camp Watchme or Brylan’s Feat Foundation, visit our website. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on events, projects, and breakthroughs in pediatric lymphedema care.
