Family remembers Camya Young’s impact in Humboldt community

HUMBOLDT, Tenn. – After one family suffered the loss of a child, a small business offered a way to show support.

Camya Young, a 14-year-old from Humboldt, had been a fighter since the day she was born with a congenital heart disease.

“They told us the day she was born that she was not expected to live long because she had just pieces of her heart. She was missing chambers of her heart, among other things,” said Cheryl Conley, the grandmother of Camya Young.

Her grandmother, Cheryl Conley, says in the first four years of her life, Camya Young had four open-heart surgeries to correct her condition.

Before her 13th birthday, it was discovered she had a leaking valve in her heart.

Camya Young’s mother was told by doctors they could repair her heart issue but complications arose.

“The day that they went in to try to repair the valve, they told her mom that she would have to have a transplant or she would not live,” Conley said.

They received a heart from a donor and the transplant was successful and Camya Young went back home to Humboldt. However, during checkups, they discovered issues with other organs.

“She had kidney issues, then it started to be liver, pancreas. It turned out to be multi-organ failure,” Conley said.

Unfortunately, Camya Young died on January 18.

“She lost her battle. She fought to the end. She lost her battle to everything that was going on with her on January 18th,” Conley said.

Conley told us Camya Young attended Humboldt Junior and Senior High School.

She was a cheerleader and participated in Beta Club.

“She had an impact on everybody. She was such a humble little girl. Nobody she met was a stranger. She was shy, you know, but she was the sweetest teenager you could ever meet and she loved everybody,” Conley said.

After hearing about Camya Young’s passing, Sarah White, owner of Humboldt Nutrition, wanted to help the family.

So she offered to create a drink called Camya Strong. The drink consists of Camya Young’s two favorite flavors according to her mom: peach and strawberry.

The proceeds from sales of the drink all go to Camya Young’s family.

“I feel like it’s more than just a loaded tea. I feel that seeing these pictures posted on social media, seeing the posts, is getting her name out there, and getting people talking about who she was as a person. So I just feel like it’s more than just a loaded tea,” White said.

The family says that it has been difficult since her passing. They shared that it means a lot to them to see how much community support they’ve received.

“I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. We really appreciate it on behalf of Asia, my granddaughter, and Jeffrey Young, Asia’s father. Thank you and I really appreciate it. Keep us in your prayers,” said Suzanne Young, Camya Young’s great-grandmother.

This Sunday the family will hold a committal ceremony that will include performances from her cheerleading squad, saxophonists, and more.

To get your Camya Strong drink, you can go to Humboldt Nutrition located at 3150 East End Drive in Humboldt.

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