When Deb Scheer met Dillon, he was five months old. Born to a drug-addicted mother, he had been exposed to HIV/AIDS in utero. Children’s Hospital, Oakland was his home, and the sign over his bassinet recommended anyone who handled him wear gloves. Doctors didn’t expect him to live to see his first birthday.

Deb took him home and provided Dillon with love, care, compassion and assortment of medications every day. Triumphantly, Dillon defied the doctors and celebrated birthday after birthday. He was one of the first children to attend Camp Sunburst, a camp for children living with HIV/AIDS.

Besides having HIV/AIDS, Dillon is developmentally disabled. Because of his disabilities, he didn’t understand a lot of social cues, and kids at school made fun of him. Dillon loved attending camp. During the year Deb would sometimes find him orchestrating a pretend playtime with the friends he made there. All year he longed for the week when he got to go horseback riding and play in the pool with other kids just like him.

Today, Dillon still attends Camp Sunburst as a counselor and inspires the current generation of campers.