Documentary Celebrating Hospital Camp Takes
Toronto Film Festival Prize
VACC Camp: Camp “Can Do,” a documentary film featuring
Miami Children’s Hospital’s Ventilation Assisted Children’s
Center (VACC) Camp, received the third place prize in the
“Feature Documentary” category at the 2013 ReelHeART
International Film Festival in Toronto.
The 88-minute film was written, produced and directed by
award-winning South Florida filmmaker Dan Perez, and
documents the 25th anniversary of VACC Camp, the nation’s
first week-long camp for ventilation-assisted children and
their families. VACC Camp gives children the opportunity
to enjoy activities that are not readily accessible to them
because of their dependency on medical technology. Many
of the children are wheelchair bound and have limited, if
any, movement from the neck down.
The film depicts the challenges these children and their
families face on a daily basis as well as the impact the
campers have on the camp organizers, including volunteers,
nurses, medical residents, respiratory therapists and child
life specialists who volunteer their time to ensure the
children receive round-the-clock care.
VACC Camp was founded in 1986 by Dr. Moises Simpser of
the hospital’s Division of Pulmonology with the goal of
providing children and their families a week of freedom and
independence from medical limitations. “VACC Camp:
‘Can-Do’ provides a clear visual description of the impact
that VACC Camp has from the simple smile on a camper’s
face to the expressions of happiness in their parents’ faces,”
said Dr. Simpser. The film is a testament to the way VACC
Camp changes the lives of everyone involved.
Throughout the years the camp has been attended by
children from all over the world representing many states
and countries. For more information about VACC Camp
please visit vacccamp.com
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