In Loving Memory of Cameron Chana

Steve Cochran Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Wicklander) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 18:01:00 +0000

A little while back the Steve Cochran show discussed Cameron's story, and the impact he's had on so many lives. Thanks so much to Steve for sharing Cameron's story, and you can listen to the interview here.

Cameron in Gift of Hope's Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Wicklander) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:56:00 +0000

Cameron's story, and his friend Erik's tribute to him were featured in the gift of hope magazine. You can check it out by following this link. Erik's commitment to Cameron is beautiful and touching.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Wicklander) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:18:00 +0000

Hi everyone.

Lori is at a mid-year Sigma Pi meeting with Gift of Hope and Donate Life in St Louis, kicking off their new national philanthropy Sigma Pi For Hope. You can check out all the details at donatelife.sigmapi.org.

SigmaPi and Donate Life also put this short video together where we talk about Cameron's life and the lives he's impacted. You can check it out below.

Erik Tofte Honors Cameron throughout Africa and The Middle East

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:27:00 +0000

In an effort to Honor his close friend Cameron , Erik Tofte, a Sigma Pi fraternity brother, flew the Donate Life Flag throughout his deployment in Africa and the Middle East. Please click this link to the story in the doings and check out this story in the Chicago Tribune to learn more about this wonderful friend, and check out some of the pictures he took below...

Sharing Cameron's Story

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Wicklander) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 01:27:00 +0000

We wanted to share with everyone an article that was in The Journal Gazette & Times Courier about the many ways in which Cameron is still helping people, and some of the things we're doing to continue sharing his story.

You can read the article here, and thank you to all our friends and family for your continued love and support.

Sigma Pi Chooses Donate Life as their national Philanthropy

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Wicklander) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 05:12:00 +0000

We wanted to let everyone know that the national chapter of Cameron's fraternity, Sigma Pi, has chosen Donate Life as their national philanthropy.

This means that about 130 chapters will be running events (campus challenges, awareness campaigns, registration events…) within in the Greek community, between rival colleges and throughout colleges in certain states.

Cameron's story will be the face of this partnership, and we know that together Sigma Pi and Donate Life will save countless lives.

For information on how to sponsor an event or just to get more information please send an email to chanafamily@cameronchana.com.

To become an organ donor, please visit http://donatelife.net.

Cameron's story on the Steve Cochran Show

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Wicklander) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Last week Cameron, and the gifts of life that he has given, were discussed on the WGN's Steve Cochran show. If you didn't have a chance to listen to it, we wanted to be sure to share it with you here. You can download the file if you would like, or listen to it below by clicking on the media player. Thank you to all of you for your continued love and support.

Picture of Cameron's florograph

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:13:00 +0000

We wanted to share a picture of Cameron's "florograph" that appeared on the float in today's Rose Bowl Parade.

A letter from the recipient of Cameron's Liver

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Our family continues to be blessed by Cameron and the recipients of his gifts. Please see the attached which we just received from a new extended family member. We will always miss our beautiful Cameron but continue to be amazed by the people he touches.

Letter to Recipients

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:44:00 +0000

It has been 5 months since Cameron’s death. We have finally found our “voice” to make the initial communication to Cameron’s organ recipients and wanted to share. Although there is a tremendous hole in our family, we are blessed with the constant support of Family, Friends and Community. Thank you.

October 22, 2009

Dear Organ Recipient:

I hope this letter finds you well and you have recovered from your surgery. My name is Rob and I am the father of Cameron, your donor…his mother’s name is Lori. He was a healthy and beautiful 22 year old young man – he was 6’5” of total goodness. Cameron had just completed college and was two weeks away from starting his MBA graduate program when he was killed in an accident.

Cameron grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago surrounded by his aunts, uncles, grandparents and his 14 cousins. He is our oldest child - he has two brothers and one sister. Cameron was very kind, athletic, compassionate and resourceful. He possessed a quick wit and a trademark smile that immediately put you at ease. He genuinely enjoyed people and had a “bigger than life” personality. We have always been honored to be his parents; he was everything you would want in a son, a brother, a friend, and so much more.

When we learned that our son would never come home, donating his organs was in harmony with the way Cameron lived his life. Cameron had already made his decision - at his young age he took all appropriate steps to be an organ donor. He was a gift during life and continues to be so in his death.

Although words cannot express our sadness, we are grateful that Cameron lives on in others. Don’t be surprised if your sense of humor becomes skewed, you can suddenly hit a baseball over the fence, you laugh, hug & smile a lot more, the color green is now your favorite, you have a sudden urge to play soccer and kick with your left foot, or you develop a taste for Bud Lite Lime.

We have an abundance of blessings – we hope you do too. We are hopeful that your recovery has gone well and you are flourishing. Even though we do not know you, we pray for you often. We would welcome the opportunity to communicate further.

With hope,

Rob & Lori

A letter from the recipient of one of Cameron's organ donations

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

We recently heard from one of the recipients of Cameron’s organs. Cameron continues to touch people, enhance their lives and, as the attached document shows, saves lives. Our family certainly looks forward to meeting Nathan and experience Cameron’s beating heart - again. Please keep our family and the recipient families in your prayers.

A Letter from Gift of Hope about Cameron's Organ Donations

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:44:00 +0000

We received the letter below from Gift of Hope about Cameron's organ donations and the recipients of his organs. We wanted to share with you how Cameron continues to impact peoples lives through his gift of organ donation and ask that you keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers.

A letter from the recipient of a heart transplant

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:04:00 +0000

On June 9th, we received the following letter from a woman named Kelli Smith, who is the recipient of a heart and an old friend of a family member. To learn more about Kelli and the journey she has been on, you may visit her website at www.teamkelli.org.

---------------------

Dear Rob and Lori,

Let me begin with my sincere condolences on the loss of your precious, angel. My name is Kelli Smith and I am an old friend of Terri Chana (Mate) Cameron's cousin. Terri shared your story with me and I was touched to the core of my being. You see I am the recipient of an organ transplant. I received a new heart on January 5th 2009, from a healthy, beautiful, giving, funny, smart 27yr old, pre -law student who took pristine care of her body and knew she wanted to donate her organs one day.

She was in a horrible accident that caused her to become brain dead. I received my letter from her family the same week I heard about Cameron and his gifts he had given. I know I am not the recipient of Cameron's heart, but somebody is, he is somebody's hero, someone's angel. I can promise you that not one hour of the day passes without the heart recipient placing their hand over that beating heart and thanking GOD for that miracle, for what an angel, what a gift that nobody else but Cameron could match for, how 25 people die everyday waiting for a heart to become available. How guilt strikes knowing for us to live, another must go, so we begin to pray for that person long before their life ends as we are praying for our miracle.

I am a mother of four and I am 37 years old, I caught a virus that attacked my heart and was diagnosed and given two months to a year to live with this heart that fast. Had it not been for the thoughtfulness and unselfishness of others like Alicia(my angel) or Cameron who is someone's hero who's heart will beat on in some one everyday to make a difference in many is giving the biggest gift EVER. Alicia's father wrote my letter to me and he stated that "Her heart was bigger then her life" I believe Cameron must be much the same, people like them must go on giving forever. Just forever know what a hero you have in Cameron, and he will be remembered with somebody's every single heartbeat. GOD bless you and your family, you will stay in our prayers.

About this Website

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:26:00 +0000

This website was developed and is maintained by Cameron’s family. Its’ purpose is to provide information on Cameron’s life, as well as keep people informed on how he continues to impact people through his organ donation gifts.

Cameron has always been a blessing to his family and friends, and he continues to do so…even in death.

Cameron was tragically killed on May 30th of this year in a bus accident near Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston Illinois. Cameron is the loving son of Lori and Rob Chana and is the oldest of their four children. Cameron has two brothers, Christopher and Cole and a sister, Carley. Cameron graduated from college on May 9th and was at EIU preparing to start his MBA on June 15th.

Please check back with this site often for we will continually update it with current information, and follow the lives that Cameron has and continues to touch and impact.

Share Photos of Cameron

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:05:00 +0000

We would be grateful if you could share some of your favorite pictures of Cameron with us. We're still working out the best way to do this, but in the meantime you can upload a photo to the album below, via email, by following these easy steps:

1.Click here to send an email (Keep the address and subject as they are)
2. Attach photos to your email
3. Send

That's it. Once you've sent the email, your photos will be added to the album below. You can also visit the entire album by clicking here, or by clicking on any photo in the album below.

Receive Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:00:00 +0000

We plan to continually update this website with information about the lives that Cameron continues to touch and impact. If you have not done so already, we encourage you to fill out the form below to receive updates as they are made available.

Read Stories from Organ Recipients

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:49:00 +0000

As we learn more about organ donation, and the lives that are touched, we will continue to publish stories from Organ Recipients. If you haven't already, we encourage you to sign up for email updates so that we can share these stores with you as they become available.

A letter from the recipient of Cameron's Liver. We received this letter from the recipient of one of Cameron's organs, and continue to be amazed by the way in which Cameron is still touching people's lives every day.

A letter from Gift of Hope about Cameron's Organ Donations. We received the letter from Gift of Hope about Cameron's organ donations and the recipients of his organs. We wanted to share with you how Cameron continues to impact peoples lives through his gift of organ donation and ask that you keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers.

Kelly Smith writes about receiving the gift of a heart. On June 9th, we received this letter from a woman named Kelli Smith, who is the recipient of a heart and an old friend of a family member. To learn more about Kelli and the journey she has been on, you may visit her website at www.teamkelli.org.

If you have a story about organ donation to share, please fill out the form below; we would love to hear from you.

Learn More About Organ Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:48:00 +0000

• One Donor can save or enhance the lives of more than 25 people.
• More than 4,700 people are currently waiting for organ transplants in
Illinois.
• Every 11 minutes, a new person is added to the national organ transplant
waiting list.
• 18 people die each day waiting for a transplant.
• As of January 1st 2006, signing your license is no longer sufficient to register
for Organ/Tissue Donation.

Click Here to access the organ donor registry for every state in the country.

To learn more about organ donation, please visit Gift of Hope and Donate Life.

More on the Life of Cameron

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Cameron was born in Torrance California on April 2nd 1986. The family moved to Clarendon Hills in time for Cameron to start Kindergarten. As the oldest of four he lead the family into the new areas of family sports, Church, travel, vacations, adolescent and teenage relationships, education (elementary, middle, high school and college, and probably most important relationships. Cameron was truly gifted at developing relationships. As a son, brother, relative or friend, Cameron set the benchmark on caring, supporting and loving others.

Through elementary school he was considered a very shy student and quiet in most of his classroom activities. One of his teachers stated that after disciplining him for something he did in class…she was the one who actually felt bad…Cameron just had that type of impact on people. He enjoyed camping and participating in Indian guides; especially the campouts and the floor hockey tournaments each January & February. It was at this time that he developed a love for sports and enjoyed soccer, baseball and basketball. Although competitive in spirit, his big feet and coordination challenges prevented him from being the “star” player on the team in the activities he participated. He did well in school and developed some friendships that would last for the rest of his short life. Cameron was an absolute gift during his elementary school years.

Cameron started Middle School at Hinsdale Middle School. A new middle school in Clarendon Hills was being built and Cameron moved to Clarendon Hills Middle School for his 8th grade year and participated in the first graduation class from that new school. Cameron continued to blossom during these years and his outgoing and gregarious personality really started to develop…his face started to grow into the oversized glasses we always purchased for him. He became more active in school and got his first real exposure to Christ Church of Oakbrook with the confirmation process during his 8th grade year. He started to grow into his feet and became a bit more competitive and comfortable participating in sports. He played traveling soccer and his family trekked throughout the Midwest to attend his games. Cameron’s love for soccer grew and he was very deceiving to his opponents for he was left footed and had significant power on that side. He continued to add friends and strengthen his relationships. Cameron was an absolute gift during his middle school years.

Cameron attended Hinsdale Central High School where he really blossomed, gained confidence and started developing his bigger than life personality. He played baseball for HCHS during his first two years. He tried out for basketball but did not make the final cut. Although disappointed, he was persistent. He got a bunch of other, almost but didn’t quite make it, basketball guys and started “The Generals.” The Generals scrimmaged against the Hinsdale Central Basketball Varsity Girls team and helped them toughen up and gain strength by playing against a good boy’s team. Cameron told his Dad…”This is perfect, I still get to play competitive basketball but now….I get to play with girls.” He continued to play intramural soccer, baseball and basketball. Socially he blossomed by attending most Hinsdale dances, social and spirit events and expanded his friendships…both girls and guys. Cameron also worked in town at the local pharmacy and volunteered at the Hinsdale hospital every week. Cameron also grew spiritually during these years and went on mission trips to Seattle, The Czech Republic and The Dominican Republic. He was an active participant in Koinonia (our Churches High School Ministry) during his High School years. His commitment, belief and love for God were strengthened during these years.

He loved going to his lake house in Wisconsin and having friends up for weekends at a time. Although he never became a champion skier he was a master of “the tube.” From playing king of the raft to midnight tubing, Cameron was competitive in his actions but passionate with the relationship he had with his friends. As a family we took many vacations during this time for we know Cameron would be going to college soon and vacation schedules would be different. These included but were not limited to Caribbean Cruise, Playa Del Carman Mexico, trips to the Wisconsin Dells, several short weekend getaways and of course camping trips. Cameron loved to be with family and continued to be a role model for his brothers and sister. Cameron was an absolute gift during his High School years.

As previously stated Cameron really blossomed in High School. However…when he got to College…he EXPLODED! Cameron embraced the freedoms he had when going to college and embraced any and all activities he got involved with. Not getting into the freshman dormitory his first year became a blessing and because of that most of his roommates and new friends were sophomores. These guys helped launch Cameron into the activities at Eastern Illinois University and then they got caught up in his vortex as he became involved with so many more activities. It was said that the luckiest guy at Eastern was Cameron’s roommate and then later on Cameron’s fraternity brother. He got very involved in school both socially as well as academically. He frequently stopped by professor’s office to talk or just see how they were doing. One of his professor’s wrote a letter stating “it is often said that a teacher touches a life – well, Cameron touched mine.”

During Cameron’s freshman year he pledged the Sigma Pi fraternity. Over the next three years he became very involved holding several offices and heading up many activities. He loved his fraternity and truly became a “brother” to the other Sig Pi members. He continued with his love for sports playing every sport imaginable (some popular and some we have never heard of.) For example, Cameron was so competitive, in even the most arcane sports/activities, he was proud to let everybody know that he was the “pickle ball” Champion of Eastern Illinois University during his senior year. This was an EIU sponsored intramural sport. During his four years Cameron traveled and visited many other schools to visit friends. He was always glad to get back to EIU.

During his senior year with graduation fast approaching, Cameron was deciding what to do after graduation. He thought about traveling throughout Europe for a few months, going on with his education to get his MBA or going directly to work. Because of a summer internship and interviewing with companies that came to his college to recruit potential employees; Cameron had two job offers prior to graduation. After weighing all pros & cons he decided to stay at EIU and complete the requirements for his Masters of Business Administration. (He also was having way too much fun.)

He graduated on May 9th, 2009. Cameron was an absolute gift during his college years.