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Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Counselor relates to campers’ illnesses
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rutledge — Matt Schnei-der literally rolls out of bed each morning. He uses his back muscles. He has no choice.
“I have to because I have no frontal abdominal muscles,” said Schneider, 29, who spent his teen years in Duluth.
“I can’t do sit-ups, either. It’s no biggie.”
What an understatement.
Matt’s the videographer for Camp Braveheart, a camp for kids born with congenital heart defects. Now in its 12th year, it is held at Camp Twin Lakes, a 300-acre refuge an hour east of Atlanta in Rutledge.
During the week, Schnei- der takes video footage of camp activities, then edits it down to a 20-minute DVD. Every camper and volunteer gets a copy. He’s on the job at this week’s camp, taping about 125 kids and their worn-out counselors at various activities and events.
When it comes to camp, Schneider of Fairburn is a veteran. As a youngster, he participated. As an adult, he volunteers.
In July, he’ll serve as a counselor at Camp Independence, another special-needs camp held at Camp Twin Lakes. This one’s for kids who have kidney defects. Some, like Schneider, have had transplants. Others are on dialysis, something he has experienced as well.
And some haven’t started treatment yet.
Schneider was born with a condition called Eagle-Barrett syndrome. He’s had three kidney transplants. His body rejected Mom and Dad’s donated organs. So far his brother’s organ, which Schneider received six years ago, has been a winner.
“For transplant patients, there are six antigens that have to match up,” he told me. “The more matches you have, the more likely the body won’t reject the kidney. The last one matched up six out of six. It’s been a really good match, so I’m good to go.”
Although Schneider enjoys videotaping Braveheart campers, he relishes his role as a Camp Independence counselor. He’s been through what the kidney patients are experiencing or will encounter because of their condition.
“I can talk to the kids because I know exactly what they are going through, as opposed to a ‘normal’ counselor who doesn’t,” he said. “It was a big sharing experience when I first went to camp at 14. I had only been treated in adult hospitals, so when I met other 14-year-olds who had been through the same thing, it was a very big sharing experience.”
Schneider has a cinematic vision. The Berry College broadcast graduate wants to make a movie, an educational and autobiographical one. He plans to interview friends, former teachers and doctors who have taken part in his early journey. The film is aimed at the general public as well as children who face critical health issues like congenital heart defects and kidney problems. He wants kids especially to see that, despite having to roll out of bed, he lives a normal life. He doesn’t let his condition sideline him.
“I am telling my story,” he said Monday before filming a group of campers embarking on a bike ride. “It’s my whole story so that people can learn about chronic illness, see what it’s like. I also want to educate the public about organ donations, dialysis and transplants.”
He estimates that making the independent film will cost about $15,000. Most of the money will pay for travelling to various locales to interview past and present acquaintances. Schneider has been boning up on grant writing in hopes of landing some funds. But he suspects most of the money to make the film will come from the hearts of people who hear about what he’s doing and want to help. “When they hear that I’m telling my story to help others,” he said, “they’ll want to be a part of it.”
