Sympathy for the Camerons

This is a personal message of sympathy from Andrew Cates, CEO of SOS Children

I find it difficult to work this morning because I am too upset about the death of Ivan Cameron. I guess that makes me pathetic in some people's eyes, and incomprehensible to others. I have never met Ivan Cameron or David or Samantha for that matter. What I have in common is simply deep love for three children of my own of similar ages to his and that is enough to upset me deeply with empathy. Losing a child simply doesn't bear thinking about.

I know I have no possible means of passing meaningful sympathy on to a family I haven't met but I want to do it anyway for my own benefit so I am doing it here. Should I? Should I even feel so upset? I think so.

SOS Children cares for 70,000 children whose own parents are not there to surround them with love as the Camerons did for Ivan. Most of the work we do is thanks to compassion for other people whom our donors have never met but still care for. We should care about people elsewhere in the world and we should feel upset about them. We should care about people we have never met. I get a lump in my throat reading reports from around the world at least several times a week. Most things which we can never publish because we (rightly) have a policy of not trying to upset or distress people into supporting us.

But the children are real, the need is real and I do my job because I care about other people and when I cease being affected by things I read it will be time for me to make way for someone else. In the meantime, yes, the death of Ivan Cameron upsets me and I feel sympathy for his family. I am sorry if for some people that makes me less of a man. I think it makes me rather more of one.