Sarah Fisher has cupboards and cupboards full of crosses that she hand delivers or sends to people who have lost a loved one. She started doing it to honor the memory of her son, Cameron Bolton, who died after a car accident in 2018. Since then, she’s given out 1,822 crosses.
“It has been a great ministry,” says Sarah, a certified nursing assistant in the post-anesthesia care unit at Sanford Health in Fargo. “It’s really comforting to me because my faith is important to me.”
But sending out the crosses is just one part of the mission. In June of 2020, Sarah and her husband Arlin started their foundation, Crosses for Cameron.
When Cameron died at age 22, he was a registered organ donor. His heart, kidney, liver, corneas, bone tissue and ligaments were all donated. Through the foundation, Sarah and Arlin now promote organ donation with speaking engagements and interviews.
The couple has met many of the recipients of Cameron’s organs, including Jeremy French, a 32-year-old who lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jeremy has Cameron’s heart.
“It was really emotional because you know Cameron’s a part of who they are now,” says Sarah. “As days, weeks and months continue to pass, one miracle after another has taken place through Cameron’s donations. His life continues to bless others and our family has found peace knowing that he continues to live on.”
Another way Crosses for Cameron promotes organ donation is through rocks. Sarah started painting them in August of 2020 and has others helping her. A donate life graphic is pasted to each rock and placed in a small, resealable plastic bag along with a card encouraging people to do a random act of kindness.
The rocks have brought hope and awareness around the country. Sarah’s goal was to have rocks in all 50 states, so she sent them with people going on vacation.
“I thought it would take a long time, but it only took a week,” she says.
When someone receives a cross or finds a rock, they’re asked to share their story or post a picture on the “Crosses for Cameron Bolton” Facebook page. They can also use #crossesforcameron or email crossesforcameron@outlook.com.
Sarah receives about two stories a day and posts them as soon as she gets them. One person shared how they found a rock on a ski slope in Big Sky, Montana, at 12,200 feet.
“It’s been a really huge part of my healing process,” says Sarah. “When you lose someone, it’s really hard because the hopes and dreams you had for them are gone.”
The foundation has also sponsored a room at the Ronald McDonald House in Fargo as part of Giving Hearts Day and is working with the city park board to have a space created that spreads organ donation awareness. Anyone can buy a brick for their loved one to be placed in the park. Sarah has also been involved with the donor council at Sanford Health.
“There’s a saying that with extreme love comes extreme grief. It’s really true. You have to find a way to channel all that love you can’t give anymore,” Sarah says.
Crosses for Cameron not only spreads awareness about organ donation, it also provides scholarships to students going into the medical field. Four scholarships were awarded in 2020 alone.
Sarah and Arlin like to stay busy sharing the importance of organ donation while keeping Cameron’s memory alive.
“He helped a lot of people and he’s still helping people,” Sarah says.
