Article posted: 9/3/2012 6:00 AM

Camp gives cancer patients a vacation from fears

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At Camp Fantastic in Front Royal, Va., Alesia Allen, 10, center, dances in front of counselor D.J. Conti during the talent show, which is a highlight of the weeklong getaway.

Washington Post photo by Daniel C. Britt

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At Camp Fantastic, a weeklong summer camp for kids with cancer, the medline is as much a ritual as the swimming classes and campfire singalongs. Four times each day, the children line up, arriving on foot and on crutches, by wheelchair and golf cart, to meet with medical professionals. It's a mini-checkup for kids battling such conditions as leukemia, bone cancer and brain tumors.