MINNEAPOLIS — Odayin is the Ojibwe word for heart. It’s the perfect name for a camp that is dedicated to children with heart disease.

“1 out of 100 kiddos is born with something special with the structure of their heart.  Camp Odayin is a place where these kids meet peers that are just like them,” said Sara Meslow, Camp Odayin’s executive director.

Meslow spent years helping children with heart disease.

“I grew up going to camps, I worked at camps, I’ve been on the board of camps. I just believe in the power of camp,” said Meslow.

This is a cause especially close to her heart, because of her own journey with heart health.

“I’m a heart person myself and I have seen lots of cardiologists over the years – since I was 13. I’ve had a couple different procedures; I lived with a defibrillator for 15 years,” recalled Meslow.

Meslow has a special perspective for the kind of support these children need.