‘Walking Dead’ actor supports Team Camryn

Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 at 8:59 am

By Sarah Vogelsong

CP Reporter

 

A local family struggling with a sick daughter got an unexpected Christmas gift this past Sunday when “The Walking Dead” actor Chad L. Coleman turned up at her bedside with some words of encouragement.

For the Thibodeau family, it’s been a hard few months since their 2-year-old daughter Camryn was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a very rare form of liver cancer that generally affects children under the age of 3. Its incidence in the population is, said father Shane Thibodeau, “one in a million.”

Since that diagnosis, the family’s home base has shifted from Caroline County to VCU Medical Center in Richmond, where Shane and his wife Jamie have been switching off in shifts to stay continuously with Camryn since Nov. 16.

“Camryn’s had a tough time,” said Shane Thibodeau. By the time the doctors discovered her condition, the tumor had consumed about half of her liver, and complications, including a recent fever, have kept her confined to the hospital for more than three weeks.

In the face of those challenging circumstances, Coleman’s visit brought a much-needed ray of hope to the Thibodeaus.

Coleman, a Central Virginia native, has found fame in the past 20 years through his work on such celebrated shows as “Law and Order,” “The Wire,” and “The Walking Dead.” In the latter show, currently in its fifth season, Coleman plays hammer-wielding zombie apocalypse survivor Tyreese.

Despite his success, Coleman returns to the Richmond area frequently, and on the most recent occasion was back in town to appear at an event held to benefit Camp Diva, an organization with offices in Richmond and San Jose, California, that aims to support and empower girls in need.

While at the benefit, a friend of the Thibodeaus from Caroline named Amy Oelberg approached Coleman, knowing the family’s love for “The Walking Dead,” and asked him for an autograph and a photo for Team Camryn, the online group of friends and family that have rallied in support of her fight.

Coleman, though, said he would do one better—and made a video to personally address Camryn.

“I’m an official member of Team Camryn,” he told the girl in the clip. “And I’m coming with the hammer, baby, and we’re going to knock it out.”

“That video had us in tears for hours,” said Shane Thibodeau, a comment that he also made on the Team Camryn Facebook page, where it was posted.

When Coleman saw those words, he made up his mind to meet Camryn and her family, which also includes an 11-year-old brother and a 13-year-old sister. And so, on Dec. 7, he stopped by the girl’s room at VCU Medical Center.

“She moved me when I heard her story, and I just acted on that movement,” said Coleman.

At the hospital, Coleman joined with the Thibodeaus to speak with Camryn and the family, offer words of support, and come together in prayer.

Shane Thibodeau said he was blown away by the actor’s generosity.

“What we preach to our kids is that the most valuable thing you have in this world is time, and when you give time, you’re giving the most valuable thing you have,” he said.

Coleman, though, said that he felt just as honored to have met Camryn.

“This little girl is here to show us all what we’re really capable of, and she’s helping us to redefine our perspective,” he said. “I thank her for allowing me into her reality. … It was an amazing experience.”

The moment, said Shane Thibodeau, was a welcome reminder of the outpouring of positive support the family has received in the past month, and all the good in the world that counters the adversity of life.

“It really was a big recharge of our batteries,” he said. “We really needed that.”

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