Wellington Central Districts

“The best week of the year”: Inside camp through Jethro’s eyes

22 June 2026

News

11-year-old Whanganui local Jethro Chiet has been coming to camp every year since he was 5 years old – and it’s always the highlight of his year.

From embracing all the crazy activities to meeting life-long friends, Jethro has found a home at Camp Quality. And even in the months between camps, his family says he wears his CQ t-shirt everyday as a way to remember and feel connected to his community there.

Life has thrown many challenges at Jethro. He lives with Down Syndrome, and was diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia at just one year old. 

Part of Camp Quality’s mission is to offer an environment to kids where ‘normal’ means something different. When people are at camp, they enter a world where having a tough background, where understanding the life of being in cancer treatments, is something that doesn’t have to be explained. 

For campers, it’s often the first community they’ve come across where they feel like everyone around them just ‘gets it’. "Kids often take their big, long cancer beads to show off. It's a point of pride," explained Phil Chiet, Jethro’s dad. Beads of Courage is an initiative from the Child Cancer Foundation; they hand out different beads to represent various treatments and milestones in the cancer journey. In many contexts, these beads aren’t understood or recognised – but at camp, they’re part of the story, and they offer a touchpoint for kids to recognise their own story and connection to others through this symbol.

At the same time, camp is also often the first environment for these kids where the focus isn’t on health or treatment – it’s just about having fun. That combination, where everyone understands but the purpose isn’t actually about cancer itself, is so refreshing for campers – and it’s one of the reasons why it has such a meaningful, lasting impact for them.

For Jethro, going to camp has been one of the best experiences in his memory. His relationship with his Companion, Taylor, is nothing short of extraordinary. Taylor’s been there to support him, offer guidance, spark fun, and offer a life-changing sense of belonging. 

Each day at camp for Jethro is an opportunity to embrace all the fun on offer. From days at the pool to outdoor adventures to disco nights and dressing up as an awesome shark – the week is truly full of moments that allow Jethro to just be a kid. 

And that is what Camp Quality is all about.