Malcolm's Journey with Young Onset Alzheimer's

Malcolm Cameron has given heart, mind and soul to helping others: 

… as a church pastor (West Park Baptist, London, ON; South Delta Baptist, BC;  Peace Portal Alliance, White Rock, BC)
… as a pastor/community builder at Trinity Western University (TWU, Langley, BC)
… as a counsellor (Delta Family Services; Peace Portal Counselling Centre, which he founded and led until 2013)
. . . as a friend. He has affirmed us, far and wide, with his characteristic hope and assurance: “Just be you, because you’re a good you.”
Now, we invite you to join us in giving back to Malcolm and his family, Sandy, MacKenzie, and Brayden. 

Malcolm is living with a rare form of dementia: Young Onset Alzheimer’s. 

When he was 55,  this illness began to manifest itself in serious ways. There was memory-loss, aphasia, shakiness, confusion. Malcolm was unable to continue with his career. This resulted in a considerable loss of family income and security. After six years of a gradual cognitive decline, the official diagnosis came in 2019. It has been an exceedingly difficult journey, as the disease is not easily diagnosed. Life has been an ongoing process of challenging transitions, but Malcolm keeps reaching for understanding and hope.  As he says, each time there’s change, “I get it, then I go on.”

September brings a significant shift. 

Sandy works full time, both from home and the TWU campus. But Malcolm can no longer be left alone. There is only one day program for people with young onset Alzheimer’s in the province, the private non-profit, Paul’s Club*. This one-of-a-kind program will allow Malcolm to connect in meaningful ways with other adults his age who share his experience of young onset Alzheimer’s. But Paul’s Club receives limited government funding and is reliant on membership fees that are beyond the Camerons’ means. 

This is where we come in. We can give back to Malcolm and his beautiful family. Together, we can raise the funds for his participation in Paul’s Club for the next year! (*Read about Paul's Club  here  and  here  )

Please give whatever you can by clicking on the “Donate” button.

In addition to this GoFundMe initiative, Malcolm has expressed a strong desire, once again, to give to his community. On September 25th, he will be leading a Run for Alzheimer's from North to South Delta on the dyke. This will raise awareness and support for the Alzheimer's Society. You can sponsor and/or join Malcolm's team by going to the website here. (More information about the run will be posted.)

Thank you for helping Malcolm go on!
 “Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life…all of our life.” -- Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved