Stanley Stamm Summer Camp

Dr. Stanley Stamm, the Orthopedic's second full-time house-based clinician, joined the staff fresh from medical school in 1953. Stamm established the hospital's first cardiopulmonary department and cystic fibrosis (CF) program. An outdoor enthusiast, he published studies on the value of recreation and fresh air for CF patients. These children, who do not survive beyond young adulthood in the 1960s, spend most of their waking hours struggling to clear their lungs of mucus. After starting a swimming program, Stamm even organized a swim team. That activity worked out so well that he began to think CF kids might benefit from a summer camp experience. In August 1967, Stamm, medical director Dr. Jack Docter (who headed the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic), chief resident Dr. Ron Lemire and other Children's staff members took 19 children with CF and other chronic conditions to a camp in Carnation, Washington, for a week. Parents were not invited, thus giving them a break from caregiving. The Stanley Stamm Summer Camp allows children with chronic conditions to meet and take part in normal childhood activities. The camp also gives medical staff a window into the lives of parents of chronically ill children. In 2006, the Stamm camp celebrated its 40th anniversary.

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