THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 23, 1995 TAG: 9508220109
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Around town
SOURCE: Linda McNatt
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
This summer, Angel Ellis got to be a normal kid again. At 10, she finally got to go to camp.
She went thanks to the caring and generosity of members of three local women's clubs. And she loved it.
A journal entry written for Angel by her counselor at Camp Easter Seal in Milford reads: ``We did my favorite thing today - ride the horses! I got to ride the pony cart twice and the horse once - all by myself!''
An insignificant event in the life of a normal 10-year-old, perhaps, but so significant for Angel. She suffers from not one but two rare diseases that are gradually eating away at her physical and mental abilities.
A normal life began to change for Angel soon after she started school.
Her mother, Nona, says that at first, Angel was put into a junior kindergarten because of some developmental concerns. That is, she couldn't do certain things other kids her age could do.
She went on to regular kindergarten the following year and did fine. The next year, her parents noticed her eyes were beginning to cross, and things then went downhill.
When I first met Angel about two years ago, she had obvious problems, but they weren't nearly what they are now. When I had some cherry Kool-Aid with her last week, I found that Angel can no longer talk plainly. She tries so hard to express herself, but only a few words are clear. She walks like a tin man.
It's really not fair that a precious little girl with shiny, brown hair and freckles should have to be that way. It's remarkable that her parents have been able to accept their daughter's fate so well.
They are simply intent now on making Angel's life the best it can be. But it isn't always easy, Nona says.
Because of the ravages of those two awful diseases in Angel's little body, she needs so much more than a normal kid needs - medications and supplies that others her age never have to think about.
That's one of the reasons Angel never went to camp, Nona says. The extra money just wasn't available. And the other reason, she says with a laugh, was that it was hard for her parents to let go for that long.
It was easier for Angel.
``When we went to pick her up, she was watching a movie,'' Nona said, smiling at her daughter. ``She wanted us to sit down and watch it with her. She wasn't ready to come home.''
Generous ladies in the Woman's Club of Smithfield, Carrollton Woman's Club and the Smithfield Junior Woman's Club recognized that Angel was due a very special treat.
They not only financed the trip to the Virginia camp, they also gave her a send-off, a pre-camp party with balloons and cake and gifts she could use while she was there. Her favorite present, her mom says, was a nightgown with Garfield on it. She also got water shoes, a disposable camera, T-shirts and things for hobby activities like crayons and coloring books.
It must make the ladies in the clubs feel good to know they made such a difference in Angel's life. If they have any questions about it, they need to see Angel looking over the photos she brought back.
As she points at each event and smiles, her face shines as brightly as any child's face has ever shined on a Christmas morning.
``We played a huge kickball game this afternoon,'' another journal entry reads, ``and my team won!''
What a special time it was for Angel at Camp Easter Seal. It was a week she will always remember every time she looks at the photos, for however long she has left.
Nobody knows the answer to just how long that will be, her mother says. Little is known about gangliosidosis GMI or Stickler Syndrome. One causes joint deformities and arthritis-like problems; the other causes waste material that breaks down in her body to store in cells until the cells burst and die. Nona says she has never heard of or read about another child suffering from both at the same time. That's what makes Angel's problems so complex.
But for one week this summer, she had a wonderful time.
You should see her smile. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Angel Ellis
by CNB