Artistic, intelligent, compassionate, troubled, loved
From the time he was born, Cameron was a bright, energetic, and inquisitive child, always keeping his mom on her toes. As a young child, he loved skateboarding and was obsessed with Tony Hawk. He was very artistic and loved to draw, even if that meant on his bedroom walls and closet doors! His will never forget watching him get on the bus for his first day of preschool, peering out the window at her, and then forgetting to get off the bus at his stop on the way home.
When he was a teenager, she remembers Cameron calling her on the phone when he lost his eyeglasses at the local mall. He took them off and placed them atop a large bush in his attempt to impress a girl. Her fondest memories are of all the Christmas Eves, when Cam would leave milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. She always composed a letter to him from Santa outlining how proud he was of Cameron that year, and that he hoped he loved all his presents.
Kristen recalls how difficult it was being a single parent of a child with addiction and mental health issues. Kristen did the best she could to provide opportunities for growth and change for her son. She enrolled him in the YMCA camp every summer, which he loved. He joined his mom on family trips to Ireland and Disney World. When she felt Cam required more guidance and structure, she enrolled him in an Outward-Bound program.
Cam’s addiction manifested in his early teen years, and the Division of Youth Services took custody of him when he was sixteen. He stayed in a youth detention facility until his 18th birthday. Cam profoundly missed his family, his home, and his mother’s home-cooked meals. He longed for sobriety and to live a normal life. He only had one dream: to take his mother out for dinner and pay for it.
At age nineteen, Cameron became a father. Gabriella, who turned fourteen on Christmas Day in 2023, was only five when Cameron passed away. She has little memory of her father. Kristen made it her mission to be the best Mimi she can for her granddaughter. She wants her to know the best parts of her dad. She resembles Cameron so much, and even sticks her tongue out when she is concentrating on a particular task, just like her dad.
Kristen commented that the most difficult part of living with Cam’s addiction was feeling stuck in a constant state of stress and guilt. She often worried where her son was sleeping at night. Although she held a great deal of shame during Cam’s substance use disorder, she has now relinquished that shame to work toward finding clarity and growth from the experience. She misses Cam every day. His voice, his potential, and the father he could have been.
Cameron’s mother, Kristen Kenniston, provided the information for this narrative.
June 4, 1990–April 3, 2015-Age 24
Portrait Artist: Theresa Clower
Narrative Writer: Victoria Estes
