MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A very special day on South Beach as children who need assistance breathing got the chance to spend a day in the sand and in the water.
It’s all part of the Ventilation Assisted Children’s Center camp or VACC, which provides ventilator patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital with a fun week of activities.
On Monday, the group had “Beach Day,” where members of the Miami Beach Fire Department, along with doctors and nurses, took special precautions before allowing the kids the chance to dance in the sand and play in the surf.
“When they go into the water, since they have a little hole in their trachea, we put a little cap so the water doesn’t go into it. So that makes them safe. The other thing is we have a special wheelchair that goes into the water,” said Maria Franco, the director of VACC Camp.
Monday’s event at Nikki Beach was a return for the camp since the previous tour years were canceled because of COVID.
In addition to Beach Day, the weeklong camp for kids also includes a day at Bayside Marketplace as well as a special Sailing Day.