By Michelle O’Riley

WESTERLO - On April 2, in an instant, Harold Cameron’s life changed forever.

The 15-year-old award-winning wrestler was helping a friend split logs and cut down trees for next winter when a maple tree rolled off of its stump and pinned him to the ground.

As friends rushed to get the tree off of Cameron, the weight of the tree had already crushed the disk in his upper back — thoracic region of the spine between vertebrae T-11 and T-12 — and bent his back into the shape of a comma.

Not only was Cameron’s spinal cord severely injured but he also suffered from fractured and broken ribs and a collapsed lung. For over two months, Cameron has had to wear a brace because his abdominal and back muscles could not support his torso.
"I want people to realize what a split second can do to you, and that the unthinkable can happen to anybody, no matter how old they are," he said.

Before the accident, Cameron was one of the top athletes on the Berne-Knox-Westerlo varsity wrestling team, said his mother, Dorian Cameron.
"We have lots of awards and videos," she said.

The accident has left Cameron with more than bad memories; he may have to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The family has hope that he will walk again but Cameron will have a hard road ahead, filled with countless therapy sessions and doctors’ visits.

The accident has also been hard on his family; they now find themselves in need of financial and emotional support.
"I have not worked since April 2," said Dorian Cameron. She is currently using sick time to stay home and give her son needed care and attention.

Braces, prosthesis, a walker, and wheelchair are only some of the medical equipment that he uses daily, she said.

Dorian Cameron hopes that other parents learn from their experience; she urges them to check their insurance policies to make sure they have medical coverage in case of an emergency like this.
"Insurance only pays for half of the wheelchair and half of the braces," she said. "They say it’s not necessary equipment."

Road to recovery

Since April, Cameron has spent 11 days in the Albany Medical Center, including eight days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. He was then released to Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady where he spent a month receiving care.

The family recently returned from a visit to The Shriners’ Hospital in Philadelphia – a facility that provides specialized medical and rehabilitation services to children with spinal-cord injuries. At Shriners, Cameron underwent tests to determine the damage to his spine.
"They were great," said Dorian Cameron. "Every day the doctor would spend 15 to 20 minutes with each family."

Pictures from their recent visit to Shriners show a smiling and active Cameron, hanging out with new friends and swimming in a pool.

They use a lift to put the kids in and out of the pool and, when Cameron was getting out, he wanted to use the stairs instead and pull himself into his wheelchair by himself, his mother said.

Cameron cannot move his legs and does not have any physical feeling below his lower abdomen except for tingles similar to when your foot falls asleep. In spite of this, his determination to adapt to this new life is evident while he athletically balances backwards on his wheelchair and is supporting his torso without a brace.

Cameron receives some tutoring during the week but spends most of his days on-line and waiting for the school day to end so he can talk to his friends.
"I get bored; I get frustrated," he said. "I don’t like being in the wheelchair."

Cameron explains that most of his friends don’t understand how it is to be in a wheelchair. He wishes more of them would feel comfortable talking to him about it and would not be afraid to ask him questions.

Family support

Cameron’s family has been supportive of him since the accident.

He is the grandson of Mavis and Willard Schanz of East Berne and the late Harold H. Cameron and Mary Cameron of Westerlo.

Harold Cameron also has a twin brother, Joshua Cameron, who has helped in many ways with his recovery in the hospital and at home.

His family composed this message to the community:
"Harold has the courage, belief, and the willpower to overcome this tragedy that has consumed his life, but without the continuous and unconditional love and support from family and friends he may not make it because we are his backbone, his shoulder to cry on, the light in the dark. Through good and bad, ups and downs, he draws the strength he needs from his heart, and us.
"So we urge you all to help in some way, shape, or form whether it’s going to the benefit, a donation, a letter of concern and sincerity, stopping in to see him, or picking up the phone and calling — anything that shows you are there for him when he needs you the most. He’s just a young man and no man can overcome this alone.
"Harold we love you! Don't ever forget. Love Mom, Dad, and Josh."