Buzz's Bunch

Last year at the end of the college basketball season, Caleb's pediatrician signed him up for Buzz's Bunch at Marquette University. He told us it was a program for kids with chronic medical conditions who loved sports. In May, Caleb got a Buzz's Bunch shirt and an invitation to attend their basketball "camp." He's been talking about it all summer.

Yesterday was the big day, and he couldn't wait to get to Marquette. That all change when we stepped into the gym. The music was LOUD, there was kids running all over the place, basketballs bouncing, coaches, players, and cheerleaders coming up to him and saying "Hi Caleb!" (he had a name tag on) and to top it off, there was a person wearing an eagle costume (their mascot). He freaked. He cried, clung to me like a monkey and wanted to leave. The coach saw me carrying him back to the bleachers and asked him what was wrong. I told him that C didn't like the eagle. So Coach Buzz went over to the "eagle" and told him to stay away from Caleb for the day. He also had some players come up to him and give him a little extra TLC. He did a little better after that, but still didn't want to leave our sides.

I really wasn't sure what to expect. When we got there, it was sort of like an "open gym" with kids shooting baskets with the Marquette players. There wasn't a ton of kids there (probably around 25), but there was a wide range in ability. After their introductions, they split the kids up into age groups and had stations. Caleb's "5 and under" group was so stinking cute. Most of the time they didn't have a clue what they were supposed to be doing, but the players and coaches cheered them on, encouraged them, and made them feel so good about themselves. Each kid got a Marquette backpack and "prizes" after completing their "drill." They seemed to favor Caleb...maybe because he was one of the smallest guys there, or maybe it was because of his "amazing spirit" as one of the coaches told me. Caleb couldn't stop smiling. They helped him have so much confidence in himself. By the end, he was following the players around and didn't "need" us anymore. It was truly awesome. The camp ended with a pizza party, and the players signed C's shirt. I know that he will be talking about this day for a long time! Here are some pictures from the day:

After one of the "snack" breaks, we were the only one's in the hallway waiting for C to finish up (imagine that!). One of the starters from last year, Lazar Hayward, came up to us and asked C if he wanted to see something "really cool." He took him into the player's lounge where they had 2 huge flat screen TVs on the wall. One playing Sponge Bob (which we normally don't let him watch) and other other one had the Wii. The look on Caleb's face sums up his entire day! And here's a video I put together. Ignore my giggling...it was just so funny to watch him try to do timed "drills!"