Sandina (Sandy), is an outgoing 10 year old who loves to makes friends. Alongside her father Fernando and her brother Chris, Sandy witnessed her mother’s battle with cancer. On March 31, 2015, Sandy’s mother passed away.
After Sandy’s mom Carla had passed, Sandy and her brother went to live with their father. Sandy and her brother had to relocate to a new school and a new city, once again being separated from people close to them. “After Carla died, Sandy became very fearful of losing another parent. Whenever Sandy saw other kids being taken to school by their mothers, she would ask why she didn’t have one,” Fernando said.
Sandy’s family was introduced to Experience Camps through their support group, Imagine. Now through camp, Sandy sees that she is not alone. She is not isolated in her grief. After camp, when Sandy and her brother came home, Sandy’s father Fernando tells us, “I did not get a ‘hello I missed you,’ but rather an emphatic, ‘CAN WE COME BACK NEXT YEAR?'”
Although faced with adversity, Sandy has excelled in school, making honor roll every marking period for the past 3 years. She also loves participating on her cheer team. Sandy, along with her teammates, won nationals at Disney and because of her scholastic success is recognized as an All-American Scholar.
“Even though Sandy and her brother miss their mother every day, it is a blessing that they are able to share their experience with their camp friends and see that they are not alone.”
