Student Spotlight : Cameron Shearing

06/18/18

This student spotlight came from a very special mom, Nicole Shearing, who took the time out of her busy life to post  an update about her son on Facebook that was quickly circulated through our team. Nicole’s post not only brought tears to our eyes but served as a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. After seeing this post we reached out to Nicole to learn more about her and her incredible son Cameron, this is their story:

Cameron is a kind, gentle-hearted, typical six year old boy. He goes to school, plays with his friends, and is whip-smart. But Cameron faces challenges that other kids his age do not. At the age of two and a half, Cameron suffered a traumatic brain injury that left his life and future in jeopardy. The situation was dire, thankfully Cameron’s status improved, in part thanks to the care he received from Boston Children’s Hospital and in part due to his strength as a young boy.

“At one point we were told that if he woke up that he would probably never walk or talk again,” his mother Nicole recalls.

But Cameron did wake up. And not only did he wake up, but he was speaking in full sentences. Cognitively, Cameron suffered no deficits from his accident, in fact his academic success is above average. “I know everyone says this about their kids, but he’s beyond smart. His teachers are blown away by how smart he is,” Nicole tells us.

Physically, however, Cameron does experience some deficits in coordination and gross motor skills. “We’re getting to the age where were starting to notice differences physically between him and his friends,” says Nicole, “and that’s hard.”

In an effort to keep Cameron physically active and engaged, Nicole and her family decided to enroll Cameron in BOKS at his school. As a member of BOKS, Cameron has the opportunity to move and be active with the freedom that our functional fitness curriculum offers. “He knows there are certain things that his friends can do that he can’t do, and that’s really hard. But, BOKS has been huge just in the short amount of time that he’s done it. It’s been a big confidence boost for him,” remarks Nicole.

But Cameron’s story doesn’t stop there. His story, and the successful use of the video conferencing system, has been used to lobby for medical insurance to cover the use of systems like this. While Cameron’s journey hasn’t always been easy, the struggles that he and his family have faced have given them the opportunity to demonstrate their unwavering resilience and strength in the face adversity.

Above all, Cameron is a stellar BOKS student with all the musings and curiosities of any six year old and he inspires his family each and every day. His mother Nicole sums it up well “he’s kind, he’s caring, and he’s a great person. He has a tremendous heart.”