Victor and Libby Boyce: Remembering Cameron and Epilepsy Awareness

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Published 2023-09-27
This week the Lautners have the honor of sitting down with Victor and Libby Boyce, parents of child star Cameron Boyce, who passed away in 2019 from SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy). They offer an inside look at the incredible life Cameron led and the legacy he left behind. They explain how and when epilepsy became part of their lives and how Cameron wasn’t considered epileptic until his second seizure. This is one of their many frustrations with the medical system, which failed to arm them. Their main message in coming on the podcast today is to take an epilepsy diagnosis seriously. There is a lack of information about epilepsy, despite there being so many different types and it being one of the most common neurological conditions. They were never even informed of SUDEP, the complication that took their son’s life. They talk about The Cameron Boyce Foundation, with the mission of raising awareness of epilepsy, discuss their grieving process, share what the outpouring of love has felt like, and offer advice on what to say to someone who has lost a loved one.

Cameron lives on through his sister, parents, friends, and The Cameron Boyce Foundation. We urge other people of influence to speak out if they suffer from epilepsy, and encourage you to check out the foundation to learn more about the disorder: www.thecameronboycefoundation.org/

00:00 Intro
04:14 Welcome Victor and Libby
05:13 Who Cameron was and where it all started
12:00 Corbin Bleu helping Cameron
23:35 When did epilepsy come into the picture?
25:35 Frustration with the medical system
29:28 The Cameron Boyce Foundation
33:38 Being at higher risk of epilepsy
37:59 Asking other people with epilepsy to speak up
44:10 Grieving process
56:26 What has the outpouring of love been like?
59:20 What to say to someone who’s suffered a loss

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All Comments (21)
  • Though I didn't know Cameron personally you can see what kind of person he was/is by the impact his passing had on his family, friends, and co workers. He was a beautiful light in this world that blew out too soon for sure but his legacy lives on forever. You can't help but think of him and smile.
  • @Lenahsab
    I see where Cameron got his light from. Such amazing people and parents. Loved this episode so much!
  • @cecelin1408
    The fact that he laughs like Cameron made me cry... I'm so sorry to everyone who knew him personally. I could still cry and I didn't even know him.
  • @esteevdbrink
    I miss him so much. Started sobbing as soon as they mentioned his name. Just started watching. Thank you for having them. ♥️
  • @thesarahnicole
    Cameron’s death hurts me constantly. He passed the same year as my brother and sister and so I often think of him along with them. Such a bright light to this day and such a sweetheart 🤍❤️
  • I feel so bad for his parents 😢😢😢 They did not deserve to lose their beloved son 😢
  • @user-xy4xr3vb5v
    So sad what happened watching Jessie and descendants was my childhood
  • @limegyu
    i feel honored to hear his parents speak about Cameron. i never met cameron, but behind the screen i can just tell he was a genuine, kind person. i was so sad when i found out he passed, i was so stunned. but i’m so glad that no one will forget how amazing he was and what a good human looks like. thank you parents for coming on this podcast and sharing on who cameron was. ❤️❤️
  • I loved hearing his parents talk about him and all these stories of how Cameron started acting. I had a huge smile watching his dad talk about Cameron, you can tell he loves his son so much. Hearing them both talk about him made me feel as if I knew him personally and made me feel as if he was still here. Such lovely parents who raised such a lovely/beautiful person. <3
  • @meeting_meghan
    I never knew Cameron, but his light and love just shone through in everything he did. I think I was first introduced to him through his dance in the Macy's Stars of Dance on Dancing With The Stars, and then his role as Michael "Stone" Cates Jr on General Hospital: Night Shift. I had loved the love story of Robin & Stone so for Cameron to play the nephew of these beloved characters (son of Jagger) was very special. And then to watch him grow up with Jessie/Bunk'd and Descendants was very special. I had a great-aunt who I never got to meet because she also had and passed from epilepsy at 14 years old in 1930. She was pulled out of school and not treated very well (from what I've been told) because it was feared her seizures could be dangerous to others (such as taking out other children on a staircase). So knowing these stories during my childhood really made me feel a connection to Cameron's family after his passing, especially since I liked him as a person in interviews and his characters while he was alive.
  • @rocior3484
    Cameron was such a beautiful soul. You could tell even when he was younger. My 8 yr old recently got diagnosed with epilepsy after a scary episode early one morning. My heart goes out to his parents.
  • @agsadvocacy
    We cannot thank you enough for bringing awareness. We are a rare syndrome, and some of our children suffer from epilepsy. Sending many hugs to the family.
  • @mnmjordan90
    My son was diagnosed in Nov 2020 He had his first seizure in Oct, a month before, and we thought everything would be ok, since it was only one. Once he had his second it was a total nightmare. We started medication immediately, but I was on edge, couldn’t barely eat or sleep for months. CT was normal, MRI was normal, EEG had seizure activity that determined his diagnosis which was Benign Epilepsy in Childhood, meaning he can grow out of it. He needed to be a minimum of 2 years seizure free and with a normal EEG result in order to wean/taper him off of medication. So far he was 2 years and 11 months seizure free, but still didn’t have a normal EEG result so we had to continue his medication. Yesterday, he had his third seizure in nearly 3 years and we had to increase his dosage. He cried feeling so sad and defeated…that he could have been so close to growing out of it. Although my heart is hurting for him and I’m devastated to be living through this nightmare again after coming so far, I’m trying to be hopeful. I’m trying to encourage my son and to stay positive. This video has been so triggering and hits close to home…I purposely avoided it because I didn’t want to hear or see, but now that it feels like starting over again, I told myself I needed to watch it…maybe it could help me and stay informed and help my son through this difficult journey. This video was a lot, so many fears and tears…but I hope this awareness can help me in my son’s journey, to better manage it and pray for a miracle or some breakthrough discover for him and many others enduring epilepsy. 🙏🏻❤️❤️‍🩹
  • @aurorials2414
    When I was on 3rd grade I remember discussing with my friend who also had a crush on Cameron who was going to marry him. Life is unfair, I couldn’t believe when I heard the news and I still can’t believe. He is making sky even brighter now and it’s beautiful the huge impact he has made in such a short time here on earth ❤
  • My friend pass away from epilepsy at 30 😢it was hard we we're always told that could never happend and it did . I was SO sorry tp hear about Cameron , people do need to talk more about it and more awereness
  • @MoonDragon1
    Sending love to his family. This subject is close to me. A very good friend of mine in school when I was young had Epilepsy and passed away in his sleep when we were in 7th grade. I still miss him everyday. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story from his parents. Thank you to the parents for sharing and doing good work ♥️
  • @milagro75
    What an amazing soul - thank you Victor and Libby for sharing a piece of him with us <3
  • @melaniecoimbra17
    It’s still so incredibly sad Thank you for having them as today’s guests!!🫶🏼
  • As someone who does have Epilepsy it is nice to see more attention being brought to it.