Cameron was born in 1995, a beautiful, healthy baby boy, Five months later he was fighting for his life. He developed Pneumococcal Meningitis, a deadly disease that can kill swiftly.
Cameron survived but he was left with debilitating after-effects. He lost all abilities, even his ability to suck. We quickly discovered that he had extensive brain damage, complete loss of hearing in one ear and significant muscle loss down one side of his body. Cameron had also developed epilepsy.
Cameron has fought to live many times since with countless epileptic seizures that lasted for hours, threatened his life, hospitalised him and damaged his brain even further.
There is however one thing that Cameron never lost – his smile.
Cameron spent his childhood doing daily therapy in a constant fight to awaken his brain and improve his quality of life and thus his future. He eventually learnt to walk, at 3yrs of age, and very slowly he has gained some skills of a young child. We stopped his epilepsy and he is now able to live medication free, but he is not able to live the life of a young man his age. He is non-verbal, needs 24/7 supervision and assistance with all aspects of his life.
We had been pondering Cameron’s adult life for a long time and how to make it meaningful. We’d dreamt of creating an employment opportunity for Cameron but could never find the answers to the multitude of questions. What? How? Where? When? We knew that Cameron loved to help people, he can walk and carry things and he loves to be driven around in cars. He loves cars.
In October 2020 Containers for Change WA was launched in Western Australia and Cameron’s support worker had a brilliant idea. We quickly realised we had found an opportunity for Cameron to have his own business and earn an income whilst helping our community and the planet too. On the 23rd December 2020 Cameron Collects was born.
Cameron Collects is a service collecting 10c recyclable drink containers from homes and businesses. Cameron recycles the containers at Containers for Change WA refund points. All profits from Cameron Collects go to Cameron as an income.
He loves meeting his collectors and when he meets them he spreads a little Cameron Magic
This business is perfect for Cameron and it very quickly grew from one day a week to five. Although, at times, overwhelming for us Cameron has taken it all in his stride and loves his work days. He loves meeting his collectors and when he meets them he spreads a little Cameron Magic – once you’ve met Cameron you understand what Cameron Magic is, he leaves smiles and happiness in his wake – despite being non-verbal.
As the year progressed and Cameron’s work days and collection lists increased we realised we needed a van, not the family car, to collect. Cameron had enough savings to purchase a cheap 18yr old van so we made the leap and invested in his business so it could continue to grow. Cameron loves his van, that we’ve named CC, and sometimes he refuses to get out of her when he arrives home if he thinks his work day hasn’t been long enough.
Cameron has a growing community of businesses and homes that he is collecting from and as the year has passed his abilities have grown. Initially he was scared of the noises at the refund points and could only carry the light bags. Now the noises don’t scare him and he helps to unload the van, carrying heavy bags of glass bottles and confidently carrying boxes across uneven surfaces – something he couldn’t do 12 months ago.
After an incredible year Cameron now has a meaningful life and is a contributing member of society just like everybody else – he just needs a little help. We are able to create goals for him such as saving to buy a car – something anybody who knows him, knows he will love. Car is one of the few words Cameron can say and like any young man, buying his first car will be very exciting. He will never be able to drive it himself but when he goes out with his support workers or family members he will always have the front passenger seat, the radio set on his preferred music and it will be his to decorate and enjoy.
We have been able to shine a spotlight on the disability and meningitis communities through our social media platforms and media opportunities.
Starting Cameron Collects has created so many amazing opportunities and benefits that we didn’t foresee. It has created a supportive community around Cameron of people who genuinely want to see him thrive and succeed. We have been able to shine a spotlight on the disability and meningitis communities through our social media platforms and media opportunities. And we have been able to spread the word that people living with disabilities should be seen for their abilities not their disabilities.
Cameron is a living example of why we should all embrace every day and remember how short and precious our lives and those of our loved ones are. He reminds us to see everyone’s abilities, not their disabilities – everybody has abilities. And Cameron always reminds us that a SMILE can change a person’s day and it costs the giver nothing – so spread those smiles around to everyone.
Follow Cameron’s recycling adventure at cameroncollects.weebly.com
If you’d like to collect containers for recycling yourself, get involved in WA’s Containers for Change. Through Containers for Change, you can return your eligible empty containers for a 10-cent refund, which you can either collect yourself or donate to a charity, a community group and not-for-profit registered with the scheme. warrrl.com.au/containers-for-change