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Young cancer patient's dream realized just after her passing

But the initiative that Nattalie Moncivais has spurred will now help others hoping to experience a camp experience for cancer patients.

SAN ANTONIO — Camp Discovery has served kids affected by cancer across the state for decades. Thanks to one young lady, that camp experience is now available to all kids in all stages of illness.

For more than 30 years, Camp Discovery has hosted kids affected by cancer at various locations throughout the State of Texas. But kids like 12-year-old Nattalie Moncivais have never been able to leave the hospital, resulting in their missing out on the experience every year. 

So Moncivais contacted the camp’s executive director, Joey Cavazos, with an idea to fix the problem. 

“She came to me and asked, ‘Why don’t we bring camp to the hospital for kids who can’t leave?’ I said, ‘That’s a great idea that we’ve been talking about for awhile and we should move on that,’” Cavazos said.

Fast forward one year, and Moncivais’s dream finally came true. But just four months before Camp Brave Hearts launched at Methodist Hospital, her condition took a turn for the worst. And she passed away.

“She would’ve been so happy (to see this camp),” said Nancy Ruiz, Moncivais’s grandmother. “She wanted to go to camp so badly, but her condition got worse and she was never able to go. She gets to see it now from above and see how so many kids are blessed now because of her.”

Cavazos keeps the dream alive, bringing Camp Brave Hearts to Methodist Children’s Hospital every month with a group of excited community volunteers and organizations. 

The camp was funded by VisionWorks Inc. and Harvey Najim, who heard Moncivais’s story and personally wrote a check to fund the balance for all activities. Kids came down from their rooms to enjoy painting, games, pretend camping, and picture-taking in the costumes of their favorite movie characters.

The kids whose health kept them bound to their rooms enjoyed camp as well. Volunteers from the board of directors took activities to each of them, providing a personal experience for each child who wanted to participate.

"The reason Harvey wanted to fund this camp is because he wanted these kids to be able to experience a day when they could just be kids and take their minds off of being sick," said Melissa Reed, executive director for the Harvey Najim Family Foundation.

To learn more about Camp Brave Hearts, click here.

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