November 2023 by Christine M.
BED BUGS!!! Buyer BEWARE. There was a well-established infestation of bed bugs in my room, 105, I killed at least a dozen & there were many more still living inside the bed frame. The larvae & eggs were sprinkled all over the un-vacuumed carpet. The staff working during my stay were alerted of this immediately upon my discovery Saturday night & provided w/pics, but the multibillion dollar company refuses to pay for any & all property damage. It was made clear that providing children w/free camp is more important than me & my now contaminated belongings. However, Camp del Oro does admit that they are entirely responsible & sorry for this. The bed bug infestation is due to negligence in cleaning & appropriately checking the rooms in between guests. I've cried for hours about this situation, as this was supposed to be a weekend where I finally got a break from the rigors of motherhood & health issues, spent time focusing on God, & enjoyed fellowship with other Christian ladies. Instead, I barely slept, my skin has been crawling ever since, I feel traumatized, & I'm out $1200 worth of personal items, including several sentimental gifts from my mother I can't afford to replace. My husband is active duty military, we are a one-income household w/o the nearby familial support systems most people have. I left all of my belongings (suitcases, shoes, clothes, bras) in the room, as I could not risk bringing bed bugs home to my family & dealing w/the fallout of that, nor do I assume the responsibility of fixing problems created for me because other adults did not do their jobs. The room will be chemically treated for 6 wks., at which time humans are not allowed inside, & I have the option to pick up my clothes & luggage after treatment. The camp director gives no guarantee that they won't still contain bed bugs, since he "didn't get a degree in bugs." One of my diseases I've had surgery to cut out as it attacks my internal organs, causing extreme pain, is endometriosis. This disease is 1/2 caused as a bodily response to environmental toxins. Each day, I work hard to eliminate anything toxic around me & am very cautious what goes on & inside my body, so this is a big choice to make about whether I'd like to bring these items home again after they've been treated with toxic chemicals. Many of my weeks are filled with pain because of my endometriosis, adenomyosis, & uterine tumors. After having a 7 hour surgery in May of this year to treat my diseases, I question the value of taking toxic items back into my home to risk more excruciating pain. I share part of my personal story because those unfortunate life experiences I face on a daily basis impacted my choice in leaving my belongings behind & will continue to impact my choices. I have never more wished I could rewind the clock & make a different life choice than I do right now. The most comparable feeling to past experiences I have right now is the time my purse was stolen with an entire weekend of tips I hadn't yet deposited & a cell phone... it's the exact same feeling of being cheated, violated & stolen from. I hope that my pics will serve as a **WARNING** to all future guests. Please don't make the same mistake as me, JUST STAY HOME. & if you go, thoroughly check your room prior to bringing any of your belongings inside, store everything elevated & away from the beds, play on your phone at night as the light attracts the bugs, & remove the comforter-it sounds like they just leave it on the bed in between guests. The Camp Director shared that bed bugs have happened a few times at the camp. My one saving grace has been the amazing ladies I stayed with, who have supported me in so many ways to get through this nightmarish experience. They let me wear their clothes, itemize & photograph my own, & are even helping me replace some of my things. Our pastor's wife offered to go to the Board of our modest church to inquir
