KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. (WTVF) — For siblings of children with cancer, the experience of growing up alongside a sick brother or sister can carry emotions that aren't always easy to process.
Camp Horizon, a free summer camp in Kingston Springs, Tennessee, holds a dedicated week for those siblings. SIBS week brings together kids who understand each other.
"This week just means getting to hang out with people who understand," said 13-year-old Gracelyn.
Marley has been attending for eight years. She said the weight of her family's experience with cancer became clearer as she got older.
"The older I got the more I started to know what it was and how heavy cancer can be," Marley said.
She said that when her sibling had cancer, her dad wasn't able to attend daddy-daughter dances.
"It just hurt me," Marley said.
Still, she recognizes and understands the sacrifices families make when a loved one is going through cancer. While the missed moments were difficult, she says her family showed up for her in the ways they could.
"They tried to be there for me and they did a great job but I'm very, very proud of them because they were still there for me," she said. "Like even if it wasn't all the time, they were still there for me and I really appreciate them still being there."
Chris Reid is the camp director and a board member. He said the camp environment gives these kids their own outlet.
"They're finally in a place where they're often in the shadow, but people understand what that shadow looks like," Chris said.
For returning campers, the draw is the community they have built over the years.
Lucas has attended the camp for 11 years. This year, he drove down for the week from his home in Michigan.
Since he's a returning camper, he enjoys knowing that new campers look up to him.
"It's very cool to be kind of that leader that they can kind of look up to and be like, oh this kid is having fun, this kid's doing the songs, this kid's singing along, like, man that's cool!" Lucas said.
Camp Horizon is completely free, and everyone who works there is a volunteer. The first week is for children who had or have cancer. SIBS week follows. This year, the camp served about 100 kids combined between its oncology week and SIBS week.
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