Cameron’s Story
Son, Brother, Grandson, Nephew, Cousin, Friend, Teammate, Classmate
David Cameron Holland, at age 17, tragically lost his life in a car accident in the early hours of December 7, 2019. He was a senior at Ralston Valley High School (class of 2020) and just finished playing his final season of football.
He had yet to decide on a college, but wherever he went he was planning on running track, his other passion next to football. He was a very kind and selfless young man. He always put others before himself and was very accepting of everyone he met. He is deeply missed by everyone.
Athlete, Student, Family Member, and Friend
- Played football since 2nd grade.
- Ran track (sprints and hurdles) in high school.
- Ranked 3rd in the State of Colorado for the 300 hurdles as a Junior (Spring 2019 Season). Expected to take State in 2020.
- Had a 3.5 GPA, excelled in Honors English.
- Had multiple track scholarship offers but was undecided.
- Dreamed of pursuing Law School and becoming an attorney.
Cameron’s Senior Essay
Prompt: Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience.
Title: The Optimism Created By My Laceration
Essay: I would have never envisioned that one moment I would be agonizing about a fridge cold room and the hideous columbia blue gown I was wearing, to being informed that my abdomen had turned into a blood filled swimming pool for my organs. My mind raced for clarification but rather than settling with the fact that I nearly lost my life, the daunting realization that I wouldn’t play football again haunted me. The four inch laceration on my spleen pulled me away from the game I loved but delivered an impactful insight as well; that the past was nearing closure but the future holds an abundance of possibilities.
During my four day retreat at the hospital, denial and depression lingered within me as I watched hours upon hours of “Love it or List it” on HGTV. I developed a hatred for football and thought there was no reason for me to return to practice with my teammates and closest friends and watch them play from the sideline. This hatred grew from the depression and idea that without playing I had no purpose in my own life and to the team since I couldn’t give anything back to them. In other words, my mind felt lost at sea and at the hospital I mentally referenced Louis Zamperini and how he was adrift in the Pacific, looking for a way out during World War II. For Louis, a shift in the tide occurred when a Japenese warship retrieved him from the sea and the positive from that was he would escape death but the negative was he would experience Japanese imprisonment for the rest of the war. In my case, my Japanese warship was “Love it or List it”, which was one of very few shows I had the option to watch in the hospital.
A show based upon homeowners choosing whether to keep their newly renovated home or purchasing another home saved my mind and emotions from their depressed state and displayed a more optimistic perspective. Watching the show through the day and night made me grasp the fact that one day I would too have to select a place to call home which proposed the idea that the future could go anywhere. This open mindedness spilled over to my emotions about football, showing me that without suiting up in pads I can still make a difference by being a supporting role and helping the coach staff with play calls. Like Louis Zamperini, I knew this breakthrough and intention to attend every practice and game would have its pros and cons, being that I would feel imprisoned on the sideline dying for an opportunity to put on pads and play once more. The positive side representing being with my best friends and being able to provide assistance the best I could from my new role on the team.
Sifting through the memories of rupturing my spleen refreshes my mind on how dreadful what could be considered the worst moment of my life was, but comprehending what insights this injury granted me ultimately is what makes this endeavor worthwhile. I experienced the loss of my favorite escape and beloved sport, but acquired a different perspective that not only helped me connect with and support my teammates even more than before but also gave me higher hopes about the opportunities based in reality as of right now and on what has yet to come.