Page 8 - CMTeen_Volume3_Issue1

The
Sisterhood

Upper Girls
of the

Like most people trying something new, Erin
Black, 16, had some jitters before heading to
Camp Footprint for the first time. But within no
time, those feelings of nervousness had disap-
peared, replaced instead by gratefulness.

“Within two days, the other girls in the Upper
Girls Cabin got me like no one has gotten me
before,” says Erin, who was diagnosed with
CMT when she was seven years old. “They’re
my CMT sisters. The friendships I formed at
Camp Footprint are so special, and I am so
grateful for them.”

Though Erin says she is fortunate that her
friends at home in Lakewood, Ohio have been
very supportive and understanding of her CMT,
she also says there’s truly something special
about meeting other kids who have CMT, too.

“The only people who truly understand CMT
are those who are living with it,” Erin explains.
“To be around so many other people who
are going through what I am going through is
amazing. CMT can take over every aspect of
your life, so it was nice to have a week where I
didn’t have to explain what was wrong or how I
was different. Everyone already knew.”

After days full of camp activities, like one would
expect in a cabin full of teenage girls, there
were a lot of late nights staying up talking.

“We would talk for hours, just about every-
thing,” Erin recalls. “Within a couple of days, I
was sharing the biggest things in my life with
them.”

Though it’s still a few months before Camp
Footprint kicks off, the CMT sisters of the
Upper Girls Cabin don’t have to wait to keep in
touch.

“We talk almost every day through Snapchat-
ting and texting,” Erin says. “We’re so psyched
for camp next year that we actually have a
countdown!”
The campers in the Upper Girls Cabin loved getting to know each other
throughout the week.