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CAMILLA GAMELLE STULL
Camilla Gamelle Stull was born in Arcata, CA, on October 26, 1994. She left us April 16, 2007, in her home, after a 3 year battle with leukemia.
Camilla was an absolute gift, bringing incredible joy and inspiration to her family and those who called her their friend. Throughout her battle with cancer, we were amazed with her spirit and determination...both to beat the leukemia and to continue to live her dreams. On December 17, she was given 2 weeks to live. Camilla had other ideas. She took a trip to LA, meeting some of her idols, went to movies with friends, watched her brother's sporting events, visited with friends, had a New Year's Eve party...she was determined to live. A 7th grader at McKinleyville Middle School, she was highly intelligent, concerned with her grades, even in the midst of her pain and suffering.
Camilla was such a full, extraordinary person: spirited and independent, intense and energetic, so creative and determined. She was her own person, true to herself, unapologetically strident if necessary! Camilla loved music, and was a beautiful and talented pianist, and singer, and she loved to dance. She was a gifted writer of short stories, poetry, and song lyrics. While at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, she also began to paint.
Camilla had a wonderful sense of humor and spontaneous joy, a great thirst for adventure and was really fun to be around, for friends and adults alike. She was a most loyal and compassionate friend and sister. She loved to play board games, and she was a huge Harry Potter fan and expert, impossible to stump on Harry trivia. She was bitterly disappointed that she couldn't live until the last book came out. She loved collecting things, particularly beanie babies, rocks and stones, jewelry, glass animals and angel figurines. Camilla loved wildlife and her beloved cat, Embers.
For someone her age Camilla had a highly developed sense of social justice and love for nature. Her favorite things in the world were going to her grandparent's beach house in North Carolina every summer with her family, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, and traveling to Virginia for the holidays with her huge family and Columbian "cousins". She loved eating at her grandparents and uncle's restaurant in Leesburg, VA. Camilla adored her big extended family, and spending time with them were some of her most cherished times.
Camilla also enjoyed sports, playing soccer on her Class III team, and watching her brother John play basketball, baseball, and soccer. She kept up with all the McKinleyville Little League teams, knowing the positions of all her friends and the standings of the teams. Hanging out at the little league field, watching John and her buddies play, brought her a lot of happiness.
One of her dreams was to be an actress. In a Newsweek article, Camilla was interviewed for a section on the Target Corporation's donation of "Target House I and II" to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In that article, she stated she wanted to grow up to be an actress "just like Drew Barrymore." Her dream was partially achieved when she became friends with Drew and through her, was introduced to Seth Macfarlane, the creator of The Family Guy. Seth gave her a contract and she recorded the role of "Baby Girl" on an episode scheduled to air April 29th.
A frequent observation about Camilla, by peers and adults, was that she possessed wisdom and insight well beyond her age, that she was an "old soul". This trait helped her endure the painful physical and emotional challenges, and often terrible isolation in her battle with cancer, with courage, grace, and patience that were remarkable. She simply never gave up. The most common comment from her doctors and health professionals about her medical condition and her extraordinary will was "we've never seen anything like this before."
Camilla leaves behind her parents, Richard Stull and Rema Sadak; her brother, John; her maternal grandfather, Farris Sadak; her paternal grandmother, Nancy Middleton; and dearest friend, confidant and mentor, Judy Johnston. Her uncles, Basheer (Liz), Dean (Maureen and children, Shannon and Alex), and Sami; her great aunts, Randa (Don), Zarifah, Winnie, Nozik (Ramon), and Nada (Carey); and great uncles, Omar (Luz and children, Karim and Christina), Kamal (Lucrecia), and Lee, Rosemary and Brent Emery, and many wonderful cousins; her paternal cousins, Susan and Ralph Wood, and Missy Vaux, and additional cousins.
She was preceded in death by her beloved maternal grandmother, Gamile Sadak; great aunt, Selma Sadak; and her grandfather, Richard Allen Stull.
Our entire community has been a source of comfort and love, providing support in many ways. It would be impossible to thank everyone individually, but please know that every thought, prayer, and act was greatly appreciated. It simply would not have been possible to get through Camilla's illness without all of the help from family, friends, and community members. All are welcome to attend the services. A Viewing will be held at Paul's Chapel, 1070 H Street, Arcata, CA, on Saturday April 21, 2007, from 12 PM to 5 PM. Services will be held at Arcata First Baptist Church, 1700 Union Street, Arcata, on Sunday April 22, at 2 PM. A reception will be held at the McKinleyville High School Multi-Purpose room following the service at 1300 Murray Road, McKinleyville, at 3:30 PM.
Donations may be made to the "Community for Camilla" account at Umpqua Bank, 2095 Central Avenue, McKinleyville, (707) 839-3281 for a memorial in McKinleyville honoring Camilla's memory.
Arrangements are under the care of Paul's Chapel, 1070 H Street, Arcata, California.
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Published in the Eureka Times-Standard on 4/19/2007.