About 600 runners ran through Downtown Tampa Saturday morning for the seventh annual Tampa Firefighters Pediatric Burn Survivor 5K.
- Runners hit the streets for 7th annual pediatric burn survivor race
- Race benefits Camp Hopetake, a summer camp for children burn survivors
- Camp is free for families
The race benefits Camp Hopetake, a week-long summer camp for children ages 5-17 that have survived a burn injury.
Hopetake is the Seminole Indian word for “children.”
"It’s a week filled of activities for pediatric burn patients to take their mind off of that and help them heal, as far as spiritually, and they connect with the other kids where they can talk about issues they may be having in school,” Jace Kohan, a retired Tampa firefighter who organizes the event, said.
The camp, which is free for families, is in its 24th year. It's sponsored by Tampa Firefighters Local 754 and Tampa General Hospital's Burn Unit.
The camp is near and dear to Adabell Abreu’s heart. Her daughter, Adenin, suffered first, second, and third degree burns on her legs in a house fire when she was 13-years-old.
"At the beginning it was hard for her,” Abreu said. “She kind of went into a little bit of depression."
That’s when Abreu found Camp Hopetake.
"She wouldn't wear shorts, she wouldn't wear anything that would show her legs. And little by little, I started seeing the difference, the changes, her confidence coming back,” Abreu said.
Abreu’s daughter is now a confident 20-year-old, who is embracing her scars and studying nursing thanks to a scholarship from America’s Female Firefighters, Inc.