For Cameron Thackston, 17, what started as a pain in his foot in early 2023, turned out to be something much more serious. He and his mom, Alma, thought it could’ve been tendonitis, only his condition wasn’t improving. The sharp pains continued to the point where the family was forced to take a trip to the emergency room. After a few rounds of testing Cameron received the news. He was diagnosed with cancer. Mom was devastated.
“I went into a panic,” she said. And Cameron? How did he take the news? He had one simple question for the care team.
“Is it curable?” he asked.
“Yes,” they said.
“Cool,” he replied.
With his primary diagnosis being T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, his mom admits she was scared. But the family only had one choice. Fight. After rounds of infusions and oral chemotherapy and hours spent on the Hematology-Oncology Floor at Nemours Children’s Health in Jacksonville, Florida, Cameron started down the road to recovery.
The hours spent receiving treatment meant he was getting to know his care team and forming many positive relationships.
“My care team is very amazing,” he said. “They uplift you and keep you going.”
Mom Alma agreed.
“They’re very accommodating,” she said. “They turned lemons into lemonade.”
One day while heading to treatment, Cameron heard music playing. A life-long fan of music, Cameron investigated. That’s when he found Steven Amburn, a music therapist, strumming a guitar. Cameron stood there and listened. Noticing the young man’s attention, Steven offered Cameron his guitar. Cameron smiled. That was it. He accepted the guitar and since that moment, the two have been creating music together.
As part of the music therapy program, Cameron and Steven collaborated on a song, a parody of “You’ll Be Back” from the hit show Hamilton, with this version being based on Cameron’s experience as a patient with cancer at Nemours Children’s.
“Blood counts rise and blood counts fall,” the song lyrics go. “We have seen each other through it all, and when push comes to shove. I will sing this fully thought-through song just to remind you of my love.”
Now, Cameron and his mother, joined by the Federal Affairs team from the Nemours National Office, have taken their story of resilience and love to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, for the Children’s Hospital Association’s 2024 Family Advocacy Day (FAD). From June 12 to 14, FAD was an opportunity for patients and their families to meet with federal policymakers and their staff to raise awareness and advance public policy priorities to support children’s health and health care.
Patients like Cameron shared their stories with members of Congress and their staff, underscoring the need to create a better tomorrow for children with medical complexities.
Alma stated that the social work team at Nemours has connected the family with resources and supports such as peer groups, counseling sessions, and connections to community partners to help them manage all of Cameron’s needs, which helped them put his condition into perspective while also supporting the entire family through this process.
“Everyone has taken Cameron under their wings, and I’m thankful for that,” Alma said.
For Cameron, whose cancer is now in remission, his time in the Nemours music therapy program has fueled his interest in the entertainment industry, especially gaming and streaming. He shared that he’s interested in writing a book about his journey as a cancer survivor with the hope of inspiring others. For now, his song lyrics capture his story.
“You’ll be back like before, and you’ll fight the fight and win the war,” the song says. “Cause when push comes to shove, I will treat you ‘til you’re better, to remind you of our love.”
