On August 15, I spent the evening at Camp Fantastic, Front Royal, VA, with my wife Diane Baker (front) and all these incredible kids. Camp Fantastic allows children undergoing cancer treatment to spend a week around the campfire and feel like regular kids again. So far, more than 2,000 children have benefited from this wonderful program. I should note that camp volunteers are asked to wear funny hats, which I gladly did. So did Steve Chanock (middle left), the camp’s medical director and a researcher at NIH’s National Cancer Institute. He’s the one in the corn cap. Credit: NIH.
What great fun it was to present an NIH Director’s Award to Steve Chanock for his 25 years of distinguished service as the medical director of Camp Fantastic, Front Royal, VA. Camp Fantastic allows kids undergoing treatment for cancer to spend a week around the campfire feeling like regular kids again. Camp Fantastic also has a rich tradition of asking volunteers to sport funny hats, and I got to share a fond memory with Steve, director of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at NIH’s National Cancer Institute. (Yes, Steve is wearing a taco hat.) Applauding the moment is NCI’s Jim Doroshow. The ceremony took place at NIH on July 15, 2019. Credit: Laura Beane-Freeman