The Gulf Coast has become a family favorite getaway, but for a group of burn survivors, their trip to the beach is more than a physical vacation. It is a place where they can meet people just like themselves and heal emotional scars.
“This is the first time I’ve actually worn a two-piece bikini,” Kyazsha Davis, 20, of Jacksonville said. “It’s a really important, special day for me, I’ll say.”
Davis is a burn survivor. She was injured in a water heater explosion when she was 13-months old. Now at 20-years old, she’s helping others like her heal physical and emotional scars at Camp Amigo.
The children’s burn camp is based on Cape San Blas in Gulf County, but each year the counselors and campers take a day-trip to places like Shipwreck Island Waterpark and ZooWorld which hosts them for free.
“It’s like going to see family, that’s kind of what our camp is,” Rusty Roberts, camp president, said.
Panama City firefighters also hosted the burn survivors for dinner at the central fire station. JR’s Rib Shack catered.
