Annabelle is bubbly, smiley fourteen-year-old. Her mum, Sarah, describes Annabelle as showing ‘a real tenacity in everything she sets her mind to.’ Annabelle loves cooking, playing the piano, swimming, and reading. She spends a lot of time chatting with her friends about books!
Early illness
Since she was a baby, Annabelle and her family have had to navigate life with some extra challenges. When she was a baby, Annabelle developed multiple allergies. Despite avoiding the foods she was allergic to, she was still unwell, and was struggling with severe bloating, frequent episodes of vomiting and extreme tiredness.
Then, when she was seven, Annabelle’s speech became interrupted, and her eyes began rolling involuntarily. It was a year of experiencing scary symptoms before she had a diagnosis.
Sarah, Annabelle’s mum, explained:
“The period before the diagnosis was very difficult as Annabelle’s speech had become very interrupted and she had continuous eye rolling during brief seizure activity. This led to friends commenting that she was being rude rolling her eyes at them. Her learning at school was affected due to the hundreds of small seizures she was having all day.”
Adapting after diagnosis
Eventually, Annabelle was diagnosed with Jeavons Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. Around the same time, doctors also confirmed she has Coeliac Disease.
After years of confusion, Annabelle’s diagnoses brought her clarity, but she was still facing challenges and the effects of a long period of struggling and uncertainty. Although the diagnosis meant that Annabelle could explain the cause of her symptoms, her confidence around people had already been knocked. She had spent a long time feeling misunderstood and isolated, frustrated that people thought she was rude.
Annabelle also had to come to terms with the diagnosis of Coeliac Disease. It took time for her to get used to being on a gluten free diet, and she quickly realised the diet was a barrier to inclusion for her. She found it restricted her meeting up with friends, arranging where to eat, and she was excluded from certain school activities. Annabelle also missed out on school residential trips because she was too anxious about the food while away.
Coeliac Disease is often misunderstood and minimised, which made it even harder for Annabelle to navigate and explain to friends. As an autoimmune condition, Coeliac Disease means that the body mistakenly attacks itself – this response happens when the body detects that gluten has been eaten. The condition can cause damage to the intestines and affect the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food. Aside from digestive symptoms, Coeliac Disease can also cause fatigue, rashes, nerve damage, and problems with coordination, balance, and speech.
Food became something that shaped Annabelle’s decisions, boundaries, and anxieties, especially when she was away from home. While she was starting to adapt to all of this, her progress was affected by an unexpected hurdle… In 2024, Annabelle had her first generalised tonic clonic (convulsive) seizure – a frightening experience which left her feeling overwhelmed and afraid, and sent her anxiety soaring.
Annabelle’s nurse introduces the magic of camp...
Seeing that she was struggling, Annabelle’s epilepsy nurse decided to refer her to Over The Wall Camp. Sarah described that referral as ‘opening up an avenue of positivity in a midst of the difficult times we were experiencing.’
Despite feeling apprehensive about Annabelle going to an Over The Wall Camp residential, Sarah said “We felt completely reassured that she would be in safe hands, as the staff at Over The Wall Camp had spoken to us beforehand, making it feel as though they already knew Annabelle before she even arrived.”
Sarah and Annabelle’s dad, Nick, were so grateful to the nurse for “considering their daughter’s wider health needs and the importance of giving her hope.”
And hope is just one of the things Annabelle rediscovered at camp…
Painting faces and flying down ziplines!
Pushing through the nerves on her first day at camp, Annabelle threw herself into the mischief and magic!
Smiling about her memories of camp, Annabelle said “I always love painting the faces of the volunteers, especially Josh and Adam as they always let us paint their faces bright green! My all-time favourite activity at camp is the zip line. I even went upside on it this year!”
As well as the activities at camp, Annabelle loves the chance to connect and make friends…
“I love making new friends at camp… this year I met a girl on the Family Camp who was also coming to the Health Challenge Camp in the summer on the same week as me. We kept in touch after the Family Camp and then messaged each other until we were due to see each other later in the summer. We were very excited!”
“After camp, I always feel happy because I’ve made new friends.”
Grown-ups and siblings don’t miss out!
And it wasn’t just Annabelle who got to experience camp… her parents and brothers have also enjoyed two weekends at Family Camps.
“We have all loved family camp, and we always feel so happy and fulfilled when we return. It’s such a warm and humbling experience, and we thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity to meet other parents,” Sarah shared.
“The Over The Wall Camp staff and volunteers are what make the camp so fun, inclusive and safe.”
“Camp made me feel like I belonged somewhere.”
Reflecting on the impact that camp has had, Sarah told us that camp has helped Annabelle blossom and shine even brighter.
“Generally, Annabelle’s difficulties don’t impact her significantly day to day anymore. Her epilepsy is better controlled, and she embraces being gluten free by regularly cooking and baking at home… she loves sharing her gluten free meals/cakes with everyone!”
“Since being at camp, Annabelle has definitely embraced her health challenges and doesn’t focus on them as being a major part of her identity anymore. Her confidence in herself has increased.”
And when Annabelle talks about the mischief and magic of camp, it’s clear to see the impact;
“I always feel like I fit in at camp, and no-one cares about what you look like or anything like that. It makes me feel happy with being myself and accepting of myself as I am. Camp made me feel like I belonged somewhere. It also helps me feel confident about being independent.”
Looking to the future, Annabelle shares how her time at camp will help her…
“Before camp I felt like the only child who had health problems and that everyone else around me had nothing to worry about. After being at camp and feeling so included, I now know there are lots of children just like me and nothing can hold us back from achieving the things we want to. Camp has allowed me the opportunity to be brave and try new things. It let me practice being persistent at things and helped teach me not to give up.”