In honor of Cameron's Feast 2021, we are launching a new wing of
The Lost Travelers Club on behalf of my beloved son, Cameron David Allen of blessed memory. He would have turned 26 on the 16th of April 2021. Here 13 years, gone 13 years. Another milestone.
Cameron was an ARTIST from early childhood. He attended a Waldorf school for most of his education, which was the perfect learning environment for him as arts form the cornerstone of the pedagogy.
The LTC's Brain Candy Project Wing
will provide artistic supplies and grants to children in financial need who are living with critical illness. Cameron was ill for 2 years, and art was not only therapeutic for him, supporting immensely his occupational therapy, but it also greatly improved his quality of life and gave him a much-needed vehicle for self-expression,
especially when words or even the ability to speak failed him.
A couple days after Cameron's Feast, I received a random Facebook message from a teenager named Emma in Wisconsin who has been a brain tumor survivor since early childhood, still suffering, and who is also in a deep state of grief having recently lost her mother to cancer. Her sister also has advanced special needs, and their widowed father is a disabled veteran on a very limited income.
Drawing is Emma's passion, and her message to me was to ask if I could please send her some sketch books. I told her that would be difficult for me to do so as I am currently living in Spain, but that I would reach out to some artist friends to see if anyone could hook her up with some supplies.
I truly don't know how she found me, but I have a hunch that my beloved Cameron's hand is in this somehow. She knew nothing of Cameron (who passed from a cancerous brain tumor - AA3 - in 2008), and she also did not know that I am an artist. I wasn't friends with either of her parents on or offline. She just... found me.
So I reached out to her father (I was also a single dad) and mentioned to him that I have a charitable organization called The Lost Travelers Club (formerly The Brain Candy Project) which is a support system and travel group, mostly intended for parents who have lost children to critical illness or other tragedy.
As we are unable to travel now, due to the pandemic, I told him that I would like to use funds to help fulfill his daughter's wish and send her some multimedia sketch books and art supplies. He granted his permission, revealing that drawing is really the only thing that distracts her from her intense and painful tumor-induced headaches.
I just ordered her $200 worth of professional quality artist supplies for Emma, courtesy of The Lost Travelers Club's Brain Candy Project on behalf of Cameron. I felt this was worthwhile as the LTC is on hold, and I am so excited to hear of her reaction when the package arrives!
Hers will include:
7 multimedia sketchbooks in varying sizes
a set of graded graphite pencils
eraser and sharpener
a set of 15 water-soluble crayons
a set of 72 wet/dry watercolor pencils
I know how therapeutic and healing art can be for children in Emma and Cameron's situation. I experienced it firsthand as a parent and caregiver. So I would like to extend an invitation to partner with me and The Lost Traveler's Club to help grant these kids art supplies through our new
Brain Candy Wing, initiated by this experience. I know my son would love this development in his honor.
Please contact the LTC to get involved, or donate generously here on The Lost Travelers Club website. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
Donations are tax-deductible.
Thanks, all!
Henry-Cameron Allen
Henry-Cameron@LostTravelers.Club
