EVERETT, OCT. 1: Cammy Carlson was nominated by her long-time friend Tracey Brown as this months Hometown Hero. The two friends have known each other for over 10 years.
“She’s just got a huge heart and is a lovely human being,” Brown said. “The world needs more people like her.”
Carlson volunteers weekly at 2nd Chance Thrift Shop in her hometown Camano Island. In her free time, she handmakes dresses and shorts for underprivileged children. She has also recently spent her time doing hospice care for Everett patients.
But what she really is proud of, is her 13 years of being cancer free.
Carlson retired in 2022 after 17 years with the Stanwood-Camano School District as a behavioral intervention specialist. She said she mainly worked with children “who were having a tough time”.
She started sewing things for her cousins as part of the Shoebox Project, which is operated by the international relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse. The project provides shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, school supplies to children all across the world.
She learned how to sew because “it was just what you did back then” during the 1960’s. She learned with her mother and grandmother and they would made clothes for school and church.
Carlson finished making a batch of 230 pairs of shorts last month. It took her three weeks to finish them, and they are being sent with missionaries who go on trips across the world like Haiti or Guatemala.
When first told about her nomination, she didn’t want the praise. “I do what I do because I want to, I don’t do it for recognition,” Carlson said.
Carlson feels much more comfortable sharing her experience with cancer. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and now is 12 years cancer free. Carlson and her sister started getting mammograms at 30 years old after their mother passed away from breast cancer.
“People need to be proactive… the worst feeling is to hear the C-word,” Carlson said. “You got to just keep living and fighting.”
Carlson said that without early detection and preventative measures she wouldn’t have caught the cancer when she did, and would most likely be dead.
You can learn more about early Breast Cancer detection and diagnosis here.
Hometown Hero is a promotion from radio stations Everett’s Greatest Hits KRKO and Classic Country KXA. Each month the stations celebrates an individual making a difference in the community and gives them a $100 Visa gift as a small token of appreciation. Presented by Eden Health. If you would like to nominate a Hometown Hero, see here.
