Jon Kopaloff/Getty; ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty
Camerondied in his sleep in 2019at age 20 after having a seizure. His parents toldTaylor Lautnerand his wife, also namedTaylor, on Wednesday’s episode ofThe Squeezepodcast that they weren’t even aware there was a risk of him dying like he did — and that is what has inspired their work.
The condition Cameron died from, SUDEP —sudden unexpected death in epilepsy patients— was something Victor said they “had never heard of.”
Though theDescendantsactor had suffered from a few seizures in his life — only 5, they shared — each one had happened in his sleep, and his parents thought that was a good thing.
“They came running into our room at 6 a.m. saying that Cameron was spitting up blood — when in actuality he was just biting his mouth. He was completely out of it when we went in, just really didn’t know who he was, where he was, nothing. He was just kind of vacant.”
It wasn’t until he had a second seizure — more than 13 months later — that he was officially diagnosed with epilepsy.
“That’s when it got super duper serious,” Victor said. “You’re diagnosed as epileptic. Now we need a plan. We need to find meds, we need to find information, treatment. And this is our whole frustration with the medical system — at this point, we’re still not getting a whole lot of information, tools… nothing substantial, nothing significant as far as how intrusive and invasive epilepsy is on your life."
Cameron Boyce at Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood event in 2018.Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
She continued, “There’s a balance between freaking a parent out and just giving them tools, and we didn’t get those tools. The Cameron Boyce Foundation — that’s really what we’re all about is awareness.”
“Even as hard as it is, and just every day, [I’m] like, ‘Why did this kid die?’ — I know that people are safe because of him,” she added. “And no, it doesn’t make it better. It doesn’t heal me. But it does make me feel as though at least something good came of it.”
Greg Doherty/Getty
“He’d be blown away,” she said, adding that Cameron would also be “proud of his best friends.”
Victor noted that his pals have been “super involved, super dedicated” in the work the organization is doing. “Literally ride or die," he said.
From left: Sofia Carson, Cameron Boyce, Dove Cameron and Boo Boo Stewart on ‘The Descendants’.Jack Rowand/Disney Channel
In keeping Cameron’s legacy alive, the Boyces have also organized the foundation’s Cam for a Cause Gala,which kicked off in 2022. Many of Cameron’s costars and friends were in attendance for the first gala, including Sofia, Karan andDove Cameron.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the event, Dove, 27, opened up about Boyce’s lasting impact on her life.
“I think that Cam was the most alive person I’ve ever known,” she told PEOPLE exclusively. “I think that in that, he has inspired me to be more alive, he has inspired me to be more human, more deeply feeling. And I think that’s one of his legacies, he touched people in that way. In a way that I don’t know anybody else has.”
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Sofia, who performed at the event, also praised her late costar.
source: people.com
