EAST DUBUQUE, Illinois (KCRG) – One family’s worst nightmare set in on August 18th, 2024.
“We received a phone call from Cameron… from Cameron’s phone. It wasn’t Cameron,” recalls Jonathan Copeland, Cameron’s stepfather. “It was an individual at the accident scene telling us what had just happened, that Cameron was going to be airlifted to Madison and had very traumatic injuries, and that we needed to get there as quick as possible.”
Cameron was riding his motorcycle when he was hit by a truck that failed to yield at a stop sign.
Amy Copeland, Cameron’s mother, remembered sitting at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, wondering if she was even awake.
The nightmare wouldn’t end.
“This can’t be real. He’s going to get better. He’s going to come through,” says Copeland. “I wasn’t ready to let go.”
Doctors told Cameron’s family his injuries were not survivable.
Words couldn’t capture Sheila Schaefer’s thoughts as she contemplated the things she never told Cameron, her stepson.
“You wish that you knew, I guess, to say the things you wish you could have said,” shares Schaefer.
At UW Health, the family did learn something new about their son.
Cameron was an organ donor.
“He went in on his own when he was 19 years old and became an organ donor because if he ever had a chance to help somebody, he was going to do it,” says Jonathan Copeland.
Six days after the crash, and four days after his death, Cameron became an organ donor at a second Madison hospital.
“It was amazing when those doors opened and the sun was shining, I mean, God was clearly with us,” says Copeland. “They took Cameron away and loaded him on a helicopter, and we watched him leave UW Health and fly to Meriter, which is where he became an organ donor, and his final wish was granted.”
Cameron’s donation means he lives on, shares Copeland. His choice means five people live with a healthy heart, liver, kidneys, and corneas.
“It just brought me joy knowing he live on through others,” says Copeland. “Knowing that so many people that were given weeks to live, weren’t promised a life, now can live a full life… it’s heartbreaking, but also, it helps.”
Cameron’s legacy will also live on through a new nonprofit, Live Like Cam. The nonprofit will be hosting a fundraiser at the Culbies Event Center in East Dubuque on September 13, featuring live music, a silent auction, and more.
Money raised will create scholarships for students wanting to get into the trades, while also promoting attentive driving, motorcycle safety, organ donation awareness, and community giving.
“I think Cam is enjoying us doing this instead of mourning. He wants to see us happy,” says Schaefer. “I think he’s happy.”
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