For many teenagers, summer means sleep-away camps, late-night dorm room chats and a taste of independence. Yet for young people living with spinal cord injuries, that freedom can feel impossibly out of reach.

The True Grit Camp set on Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus hopes to change that for a handful of individuals this summer, offering a unique week-long sleepaway program for teens and young adults navigating life after a spinal cord injury.

For those attending, True Grit is more than a camp, it’s a lifeline. Those like Micah McClendon, a 20-year-old from Tennessee who suffered a C4-C5 spinal cord injury. McClendon said he is learning to reclaim his independence, one small and powerful victory at a time.

“I really am working on daily activities like putting my shirt on, brushing my teeth, things a lot of people take for granted,” McClendon said. “Even just washing my hair this week, those little accomplishments mean everything to us.”

Kassandra Boyd, the founder of the True Grit Spinal Cord Program and clinical coordinator at Children’s Specialized Hospital, created the camp to fill a major gap in care.

“We’re able to accept up to 12 participants right now, ages 16 to 21, and kids come from all over the country because there really isn’t anything else like this for them,” says Boyd. “It’s just a $50 registration fee and no other costs beyond that.”

What makes True Grit different is its person-first approach, she said. Every camper is interviewed before attending so that the program can tailor activities to their unique goals.

“If we have someone who wants to try lacrosse again, we make it happen,” she said. “We build our schedule around their passions. Whether it’s yoga, swimming, going to Starbucks, or just hanging out, it’s about giving them a real college-life experience and making them feel alive again.”

Keara McNair, an occupational therapist and Rutgers lecturer, helps lead the program. She said the structure True Grit provides is just as important as the therapy.

For Isaac Lima, 18, of Roselle Park, True Grit reignited his confidence. A former cheerleader, Lima suffered a spinal cord injury after a stunt gone wrong: “Being here gave me the push to say, ‘I can do this I can go back into the classroom, I can do everything other people do.”

Anthony Presto, also 18, from upstate New York, was injured in a diving accident: “Just three months ago, I wouldn’t even go to the grocery store by myself. So to be here, around others, talking and socializing—it’s a really big step.”