Cameron Newell

Cameron Newell was born the 17th of July 2001 to James and Sophia Newell. Cameron was the second son of the Newell family. His brother, Justin, was two years his senior. They lived in a modest home in the quaint town of Duncan, British Columbia. Cameron was known to be kind and compassionate towards others. Some of Cameron’s most cherished memories from his childhood consist of road trips that their family would take. They would often drive to campsites along a lake to spend the weekend as a family. The family never had much money for extravagances, however, they always tried to make a road trip once a year in the late spring or early summer. Unfortunately, these trips would come to an end following the passing of Justin Newell the 12th of May 2012.

James and Sophia had left the brothers home alone after much protesting from Justin that they were too old for a babysitter. Their parents were out of the evening at a work party for Sophia’s work. The Real Estate company she worked for was celebrating the closing of a large contract that would raise the company to new heights. Justin insisted that he could make them hot dogs for supper, and they had nothing to worry about. Later that night, Justin would choke on a hot dog he had prepared. Cameron called 9-1-1 for assistance but by the time they arrived, it would be too late. At just 10 years old, Cameron was forced to confront the reality of death and the loss of his brother.

Following the incident, Cameron became more reserved and quieter. He went from being sociable to nervous and isolated. One of his only close friends was Jayden Becker. They had played soccer together as kids and he stuck by Cameron throughout. In High School, Jayden would introduce him to Josh Campbell and Sam Jones. The four of them became quite inseparable. While the other three would go to parties on occasion, that was not something Cameron would attend. Despite their best efforts, Cameron avoids crowds and large gatherings. At the age of 18, Cameron found himself isolated once more after having a falling out with Jayden. On October 21st, 2019, Jayden stopped by Cameron’s place to take him out for a drive. This is something they had done on multiple occasions as the two would often drive around listening to music and joking around. Jayden knew that this was something Cameron was fond of since his family stopped taking road trips. This time, however, things ended differently. Coming around a bend on the slick roads, Jayden lost control and the car went sliding into a telephone pole on the far side of the road at significant speed. While Cameron was wearing a seatbelt and suffered only moderate bruising to the abdomen and right shoulder, Jayden was knocked unconscious due to injuries to the head and ribs from being unrestrained at the time of impact. Another driver stopped at the scene and called for emergency services to help the two boys. It was this night when Cameron met a Paramedic who introduced himself as Michael. He tended to Jayden at the scene and transported him to Cowichan District Hospital for treatment. It was at the hospital that Cameron found out that Jayden had smoked a joint with Josh before picking him up that night. He was upset with Jayden for quite some time but made amends a few months later.

Having already graduated from High School and unsure of where to go from here, Cameron started to think back to Michael the night of the crash. His calm demeaner, soft tone and reassuring remarks. He was grateful to have met him and knew his interventions were critical in Jayden’s recovery. It made him think of his brother and how helpless Cameron was as he waited for help to arrive. This led him to take a First Aid course from St John’s Ambulance in February of 2020. This was a pivotal moment for Cameron as he was inspired to help other and pursue a profession in the medical field. He hoped that in the future he could be the reassuring voice and source of hope for others, just as Michael had been for him. He knew, however, that it was time to escape the small town that he had called home all these years. He felt like everyone saw him as meek and anxious, which led him to believe know one would trust him to save their loved ones. He knew that if he wanted to do this, he needed a fresh start. Cameron set his sights on San Andreas. It took him a while to save up the money and break the news to his family and friends but, in 2024, Cameron moved to San Andreas to kick-start his career. He aspires to join the San Andreas Fire Rescue service to become a Paramedic. While the move proved daunting, Cameron was determined to help as many people as possible. Family means a lot to him, and the move was difficult, but Cameron's family are supportive of his journey and understand his reasons for moving.

Cameron now finds himself in San Andreas. Unfamiliar with life in a big city, this change proved to be more difficult than he expected. The hustle and bustle of the city is overwhelming and he's beginning to doubt if he's made the right choice. Nevertheless, he moved here with the ambition of helping others and that's what he will do. But how? Is SAFR even hiring? These are the question Cameron will have to answer, and fast. The money he saved up won’t last long and his dreams are on the line.