Flo was ten years old when she became unwell and was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2022. Exhaustion, anxiety, and illness became part of her and her family’s daily life, and they found themselves on a long and challenging journey.
But, in summer 2025, Flo and her mum, Michelle, stepped into the Over The Wall Camp bubble, and now things are looking different.
Sleepless nights and side effects
When Flo’s epilepsy began, she experienced terrifying seizures during the night. Understandably, this left Flo scared of being alone, and she struggled to get to sleep.
“I had a lot of built-up anxiety about being left alone,” Flo said. “I was so scared something would happen in the night.”
Michelle remembers months of broken sleep and constant worry for her and Flo’s dad:
“Flo slept in our room for about eight months. So, you’ve got the all-day pressure and then unsettled sleep. At the beginning, you don’t know whether the seizures are controlled or not, so you always feel on high alert and like you can’t relax. We were always worrying about whether she was safe. It was pretty challenging for all of us.”
Then, the treatments brought new challenges, Michelle explained: “The first medication made Flo very unwell. The main side-effect was severe depression, which worsened everything she was going through. Then the next medication caused awful chronic digestive problems.”
The hidden impact
Flo was also missing a lot of school and couldn’t go on school trips or sleepovers because her medical needs couldn’t be supported safely.
“Camp was my first opportunity to have a sleepover since my seizures started. Even though I was still scared, Over The Wall Camp gave me the freedom to try.”
Michelle describes the impact on the whole family: “When Flo became poorly, we were obviously massively worried about her, but we were also worried about her brother, who we couldn’t give our full attention to. You feel like you’re not giving either child everything they need, and you’re not giving yourself or your partner enough time and attention either. It’s all-consuming and very challenging.”
The risk of a new adventure
In the face of everything they were facing, Flo’s epilepsy nurse suggested they come to Over The Wall Camp, but Michelle was hesitant.
“We were going through such a difficult journey to bring Flo back from a very low place. I was concerned it’d really set her back if camp didn’t work out. I felt like we couldn’t afford for her to have a negative experience, so I was nervous about her going to camp.”
Michelle said that Flo had become so dependent on her being there constantly, she didn’t know how she’d manage at camp, particularly with sleeping. As a first step, Flo and Michelle attended Family Camp together.
During that weekend, they met the camp staff and volunteers, Flo made new friends, and she became familiar with the camp environment. Encouraged by the positive experience, they started considering whether Flo could try a five-day Health Challenge and Siblings Camp on her own later in the summer.
Setting Flo up for success
To help Flo prepare for camp, she and Michelle had a video call with Over The Wall Camp’s Wellbeing Coordinator, Jess. The reassurance Jess gave them meant that Flo felt confident enough to try camp on her own.
When Flo arrived, the check-in process, going through her medication and meeting the Over The Wall Camp clinical team, made her feel safe.
The clinical team is made up of fantastic doctors, nurses, and paramedics, who volunteer at camp to keep everyone safe. Led by Over The Wall Camp’s two full-time paediatric nurses, Gemma and Sally, the clinical volunteers are part of the team that provides routine care as well as responding to any emergencies. This unique environment is what makes camp safe for young people like Flo and is one of the things that makes the camp bubble so special!
At check-in, Flo and Michelle met the clinical volunteers who would be looking after Flo during her week of mischief and magic! This was a chance for them to check everything they’d already told the camp team was still correct, go through Flo’s medications again, and make sure Flo was ready for her adventure!
“Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Knowing there were doctors, nurses, and paramedics around made me feel chilled out.”
Feeling a sense of belonging
Flo realised at camp, her epilepsy didn’t make her stand out. “It was so nice that the medical things weren’t even a talking point. I’d spend all day with people and have no idea what condition they had. There was no judgement – we were all in it together, having fun.”
Michelle noticed, “At school, Flo has all these things that make her stand out, like medical passes and special permissions to leave class… At camp, she wasn’t different. She could just be Flo.”
That sense of belonging and authenticity helped Flo blossom. “I made loads of friends straight away and got really close to two of them – we had the best time. We laughed so much!”
The activities gave Flo a sense of freedom she hadn’t felt before. “I felt like I could do anything! It was so nice having to be able to do whatever I wanted without having to worry.” Flo especially loved the zip line and excitedly remembers “I went down it upside down!”
“Mum, I did it!”
On her first night at camp, with the support of the camp team, Flo achieved something huge – she slept through the night on her own!
“When she got home, she was beaming,” Michelle says. “Her first words were, ‘Mum, I did it! I slept by myself!’ It was massive for her.”
The confidence and independence that Flo found at camp has continued at home…
“Now if I’m tired, I just go to bed,” Flo says. “Before, I’d only sleep if someone was there with me. Now I sort myself out and go to bed on my own. I’m really proud of myself.”
Michelle has seen the difference too: “She came back with confidence and the desire to be more independent and less reliant on us.”
While Flo was at camp…
“When Flo was at camp, we could spend more time with her brother,” Michelle explains. “Usually in the evenings, one of us was looking after Flo, and one of us was with him. It meant we rarely spent time all together. While she was at camp, we watched films and spent quality time with him together. Everything slowed down for a bit.”
The lasting impact
Now, Flo keeps in touch with her friends from camp, messaging them and hoping to meet up again soon. She’s more confident at school, where she’s now built a close group of friends.
“Camp reminded me that I can make friends,” Flo says. “It gave me the confidence I needed to put myself out there.”
“Before your first camp, it’s daunting, you’re scared and worried. But it’s so worth it. There’s so much joy there. Camp is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”
Michelle shares: “We feel like we’ve got our old Flo back. The experience lifted us all. We could see how much happier Flo was, and that happiness spread.”
So, from fear to freedom, Flo’s camp journey was about more than fun… it restored her confidence and built her independence. It reminded Flo that life can still be full of laughter, friendship, and joy! And now, her whole family have rediscovered the magic of childhood!