Sunrise Day Camp is a ray of light for kids battling cancer and their families

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Sunrise is a special camp that truly lives up to its name - a ray of light that rises out of the darkness. It's free summer camp where kids get to do typical camp stuff like swimming and crafting, all while fighting cancer.

Elliette Long is a Sunrise camper. She was diagnosed with B lymphoblastic leukemia a year ago this month.

"I got really, really, really scared I honestly thought I was going to die for a second," she says.

"She was nine years old at the time and it was, as you can imagine, devastating," said her mom, Lacey.

Elliette had to miss school and step back from dance to make doctor's appointments and treatment.

"Now also she wouldn't be able to get to camp and so this kid who's lost so much, she's losing more," says Lacey.

Then, the Longs learned about Sunrise Association Day Camp - Greater Philadelphia.

"Everybody is welcome there. If you're sick, everybody's welcome and it's safe for you. It's just a safe place to be," says Elliette.

Sunrise is a free camp for kids with cancer and their siblings. It's held over seven weeks during the summer at the Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood, Montgomery County.

Elliette says she really likes to make slime and swim and is excited for her younger brother to attend with her this summer.

"All of our staff wear hats or bandanas on their head every day in solidarity with our children that don't have hair. We have two nurses on-site every single day that can do everything from a tube feed for a child that may need a tube feed to just make sure our port stays in place," says Jennifer Rebetti, Senior Director.

A basketball at Sunrise is softer, less blown up.

"Because if our children have a low platen count, a low blood count, or have a port in their chest and they get hit with something that's hard like a basketball, they could have a medical problem from that. So, everything is done in a way that they wouldn't know the difference, but that as adults who are in charge of them, we know how to modify those things," says Rebetti.

Elliette says it's wonderful to be in an environment where everyone understands you.

"You're able to share your feelings and they're not like, oh can you explain what this is? And they're like, oh I get it, I get it," she says.

"I think it was just like a week into Sunrise that she was her normal self again with all the highs and lows that go with it. So I think being at Sunrise really gave her. herself again," adds Lacey.

Through a partnership with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Sunrise also operates a year-round program in hospitals called Sunrise on Wheels.

"We bring a trunk filled with games and crafts. Today, we made rainbow jewelry boxes. We do a lot of beading. We make slime and we play a lot of Uno. We do some science projects," says Rebetti.

The goal is to serve as a distraction from medical issues and to help kids socialize and build community.

"It was just a feeling of joy and happiness and overwhelming excitement," says Elliette.

"We're just incredibly grateful for what Sunrise provided in this moment of greatest need," says Lacey.

If you'd like to support Sunrise and families like Elliette's, please check out Sunrise WALKS, happening on June 29th in South Philadelphia. It's a kick-off to summer camp season that culminates with a special community walk by the stadiums.

The first Sunrise Association Day Camp opened its doors nearly 20 years ago in Long Island. This summer will mark the fourth year of camp for Sunrise of Greater Philadelphia.

About 150 kids were enrolled in Sunrise camp last year and Sunrise expects that number to be a little higher this summer.

Sunrise on Wheels sees about 2,500 children a year in hospitals in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

For more information about Sunrise Day Camps, visit: SunriseDayCamp-njpa.org