Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
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Ukandu

Ukandu Teen Retreat · About this organization

What you get

Your teen gets a free week of white-water kayaking and riverbank camping with other teens affected by childhood cancer, led by certified river guides. You pay nothing.

How to start

Contact the Program Director, Robin Emerick, about the next trip and its CampDoc form, and mention any mobility needs so the trip can be adapted.

Good to know

  • There is no phone or internet on the river trip; guides carry satellite phones for emergencies.
  • Teen brothers and sisters of a child with cancer can come too.

The details, as published

B-ALL is in scope Application Window Closed

A free, weeklong white-water kayaking and river-camping retreat for teen childhood-cancer patients, survivors, and siblings. The page conflicts on the upper age limit (20 versus 21), and the August event has passed without a published next cycle.

Go to the official program ↗

What help you may get

Camps And Retreats

Ukandu Teen Retreat admission

A free river-kayaking and camping retreat with certified guides and peer community.

Noncash help

6 retreat days per award

  • The official program page states that Ukandu programming is free of charge.
  • The page lists August 12–17.

Peer And Emotional Support

Ukandu Teen Retreat peer connection

A free river-kayaking and camping retreat with certified guides and peer community.

Noncash help

  • The official program page states that Ukandu programming is free of charge.

Check the main eligibility rules

Diagnosis

B-ALL is in scope. B-ALL patients and survivors fit the published childhood/adolescent-cancer population, subject to age and medical suitability.

Age

Age 14 to age 21, measured at service date.

  • The page header says ages 14–20; the FAQ says ages 14–21. Confirm the upper age limit.

Treatment status

Active Treatment, Maintenance Treatment, Post Treatment, Survivorship

  • Patients and survivors are invited; the page does not publish a separate treatment-status exclusion.

Where you live and where your child is treated

Where your family lives

Residence coverage is not published clearly; confirm with the program.

  • The public page does not publish a residence rule; do not infer eligibility from the event location.

Where your child is treated

Treatment-location rules are not published clearly; confirm with the program.

  • No treating-facility or hospital-network restriction is published.
Where the service, camp, stay, or experience happens
  • Salmon River — Participants kayak the lower Salmon River and camp on the river bank; the destination does not establish residence eligibility.

How to get started

Get ready to apply

Does a social worker or care team need to start it? No. A required care-team start is not published; the family can use the available route below.

  1. Confirm the next retreat dates, age cutoff, and whether registration is open.
  2. If invited to proceed, follow the LEAP CampDoc portal instructions and coordinate any accommodation needs with Ukandu.

Ways to apply or ask

Documents to prepare

The program does not publish a document checklist. Ask before gathering paperwork.

Availability and timing

ProgramActive
ApplicationsApplication Window Closed
Funding or spaceNot Published
Application windowEvent Specific
Last checkedSep 29, 2026
  • The 2026 Teen Retreat ran August 12–17. The next trip dates are not yet posted.
  • The listed August 12–17 event is past; no next-cycle window is published.

Limitations and things to confirm

  • Upper age limit conflicts between 20 and 21.
  • No current future-cycle date or deadline is published.
  • There is no cell or internet service during the river trip.
  • Residence and medical-clearance rules are unclear.
  • What residence or treating-facility rules apply to Teen Retreat?
  • When will the next Teen Retreat cycle open, and is the LEAP CampDoc route accepting future participants?
  • Does the maximum age rule end at 20 or 21, and which event date controls age?
  • What medical clearance, mobility, medication, and provider forms are required?
  • GPT Pro run61 (2026-09-25): Is the maximum age 20 or 21, and which year does the displayed August 12–17 trip belong to?
  • GPT Pro run61 (2026-09-25): What medical clearance, travel arrangements and participation requirements apply to the next trip?

Official sources

Program details were last verified Sep 29, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.

Official program