YMCA Wanakita Alumni Spotlight: John Cuddie

John Cuddie is a Y kid through and through. 

“I was probably seven or eight doing the gym and swim program at the Hamilton Y, where I grew up. I went every Saturday morning , and I eventually became a Y leader.”

He started attending Camp Chippewa, a day camp run by the YMCA of Hamilton|Burlington|Brantford—or just Hamilton at that time, and when the opportunity to go to YMCA Wanakita, the Hamilton YMCA’s overnight camp in Haliburton, Ontario, it felt like the natural next step in his Y story.

“The next summer when I was nine it seemed only logical that I should try two weeks at Camp Wanakita. I had a metal trunk, packed with everything I needed for two weeks including Lambmie, my childhood comfort toy,” he says.

During his first year at Wanakita John slept in the top bunk, did morning dip every day, and felt incredibly homesick.

“My letters home (which my mom still has) are pretty sad. I wanted to go home so badly but then Don Hambley, the Junior Section Director, said he had called my parents, and they wanted me to stay. I seemed to turn a corner, and the rest of camp was fine.”

Despite dealing with homesickness in those early years at camp, John says he never considered not going back. He went on to be a senior camper and then a tripper and then a student counsellor.

“I have good memories of when I was a tripper, but I think student counseling was a pivotal time for me.”

Because of his bouts of homesickness as a young camper, John was determined to keep his campers occupied, making sure they had plenty to do so that they wouldn’t sit in their bunks and think about home.

“I loved being a counsellor for a group of boys. Looking back, I think it prepared me to be a father—who sang a lot of campfire songs before bed.” 

John also remembers the friendships he made and the bonds he built—many of them still strong to this day. He’s even reconnected with the Junior Counsellors of 1978 to help fundraise for a new Leadership Centre at camp.

“We’ve been through good times and bad, weddings and funerals—they’re my best friends, we have a long history,” he says.

From John’s bubbly personality and bright spirit, you would never guess that he’s living with a chronic illness. In 1989, at 28 years-old, John was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system.

He says while he had symptoms, he was still able to live his life fairly normally. When he first went to Family Camp in 2003, he was training for a sprint triathlon.

In 2007 John would start using a cane to help with his balance, and in 2010 he took his first walker to Wanakita.

“The paths aren’t always even—that was the first time I used a walker in my life,” he says. “A couple years later, I went to camp with my scooter, and I would scooter down to the beach and people would help me do the morning dip.”

"MS was not going to stop me from getting my Polar Bear badge!"

John had also been doing the 1km Umbrella Island swim since 2003, and in 2012, he decided to film himself completing the challenge.

"The year before I had posted a video of me skiing on my fundraising page for MS. It had a huge impact on people. When you're first diagnosed, your mind immediately jumps to the worst-case scenario—you think, ‘Am I going to be in a wheelchair?’ So, seeing that video gave people hope,” he says.

“I decided to take part in the swim. And honestly, it was just so much fun. Everyone at family camp got involved—someone filmed it, someone else was cheering from the shore, someone was spotting me in the water. It was a really special experience.”

For John his experiences as a young camper and counsellor helped him build a skillset he would use throughout his life. To this day, John credits YMCA Wanakita for teaching him how to work through difficult situations and for helping him learn how to be a positive, impactful leader.

Wanakita also gave John a place to bond and grow with his family. Family Camp is where he could relive his favourite memories, while also sharing those formative experiences with his wife and children.

"I think one of the most powerful things about camp is the sense of freedom—for both kids and parents. Over the years, I have met so many people from urban areas who aren’t used to that kind of freedom, that trust. But at camp, it was different. It was safe.”

“There were also kids who were different—nerdy, quirky, whatever you want to call it—and parents would say to me, ‘I've never seen my child like this before. No one's bullying them. No one's calling them names.’ It was just so refreshing. Everyone is accepted at camp.”

“The positive things, the memories, the friends—I wouldn't trade it for the world.”

#ShineOn #IgnitePotential #YMCAWanakita #YMCACamps 

Read about more camp experiences in the 2025 Spring Koshlong Current!