'A True Patriot': Hillcrest Mourns Loss Of 16-Year-Old Student

TUSCALOOSA, AL — After an evening of holding on to hope, Hillcrest High School Assistant Principal Brad Armstrong received the news that the Patriot community had lost one of its own.

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Cameron Prince, a 16-year-old junior known for his artistic abilities and love of photography, died Wednesday night after suffering complications from a routine surgery. The loss of a friend, son and brother leaves an obvious void in the school as administrators and those in the community work to comfort a study body reeling with grief.

"Our kids have had a really difficult time dealing with it and, to be honest, I think all of us have, including myself," Armstrong said Thursday. "If you know Cameron, then I think you would understand why we all had such a difficult time."

To Cameron's credit, Patch first learned of his death from a football player at another school in the Tuscaloosa County School System who praised his eye for photos. He had even built his own brand C Prince Photography.

Click here to view some of his work

"A lot of the social media presence we have at Hillcrest High School was in part due to him and his efforts," Armstrong pointed out, before speculating that Cameron likely would have ended up pursing a career in photography or graphic design. "He was really talented behind a camera. And if you knew Cameron, you knew he loved to have a camera in his hands."

In his own words, Cameron loved football and baseball from a young age, along with percussions, but was told at age seven that a severe heart condition would keep him from ever taking the field as an athlete. He would live his life from then on with a defibrillator, but would never lose his passion for the things he loved.

"Imagine a carefree and high-spirited kid being told he has to receive a defibrillator," he said in an interview with Shoutout Atlanta in September.

Cameron's interview highlighted his outlook on life and how his condition helped shape the personality and young man who was loved by so many at Hillcrest High.

"My worst day turned into my BEST DAYS," he said. "My set back was all a part of a set up!"

Armstrong described Cameron as "silly" and quick to "talk trash" to the assistant principal, not to mention who wielded a personality that "transcended" the normal constructs of high school popularity and cliques.

"He was a true Patriot ... It's everything we stand for at Hillcrest High School," he said. "He was somebody you could easily talk to and really just had a lot of personality. He was always grinning and didn't have a mean bone in his body."

While Cameron's death is not the first painful loss for Armstrong and those at Hillcrest, the assistant principal commented a prayer vigil Thursday morning at the school was one of the most somber moments of his life.

"Unfortunately, this isn't the first time we've dealt with this," he said. "Every time is difficult and we don't want it to get any easier, because it has a lot to do with how much we care for the kids and it's one of those things that, if it gets easier, then that means we're doing it too much. But we certainly love all of our children and don't want this for any of them."

Cameron was an ardent supporter of Hillcrest Athletics and Armstrong said the school plans to honor his memory Friday night before its home playoff game against Saraland.

Services for the teen have not been announced at this time.

Click here to watch our interview with HHS Assistant Principal Brad Armstrong.

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