Amy Hall and Danielle Camer at a book signing. Photo: Danielle Camer.
One millimetre was the difference between life and death for Danielle Camer — a life she has since dedicated to living with purpose.
The Illawarra author was en route with friends to a weekend of winery tours when their car was struck by another vehicle. Danielle bore the brunt of the impact.
“I saw the film reel of my life flash before my eyes,” she says. “I had dissected my vertebral artery — a vital artery in the neck. I was told that if I had dissected it 1 mm more, I would have died instantly.”
That near-death experience brought her priorities into sharp focus and became a catalyst for change.
“I realised I was working in a toxic environment and didn’t need to stay up late for arbitrary deadlines or put up with being underpaid,” she says. “I needed more time with my family.”
This clarity helped her cope with the untimely death of her husband a few years later and informed her contribution to a new anthology.
Published by Women Changing the World Press, Authenticity & Action is a collection of stories of resilience from women worldwide, sharing how they overcame adversity to live authentic lives.
Danielle will join fellow Illawarra contributor, Banksia Support Services founder Amy Hall, to launch the book at a fundraising event for causes close to their hearts.
The event will feature canapes, roving bubbles, a raffle, guest speakers and book signings by Amy and Danielle.
Proceeds from ticket sales and the raffle will be split evenly between the Melanoma Institute Australia and Royal Hospital for Women Foundation, with a $5000 goal for each.
That figure marks a full-circle moment for Amy, closely tied to her chapter in the anthology, The Joy of Being Perfectly Imperfect.
It describes growing up neurodiverse but undiagnosed.
“I have always had autism but was only diagnosed at 40, so I experienced what we now know is a common experience for late-diagnosed neurodiverse people,” she says.
“I never felt comfortable or like I fit in at work or socially … I have attempted suicide and struggled with my mental health. It took a long time to find a job where I felt safe — and it turned out to be the one I built myself.”
(Left) Amy holding her baby for the first time in the NICU at the Royal Hospital for Women,and (right) today, with a happy, healthy little girl set to graduate the development clinic. Photos: Supplied/Marina Bian, Studioone Media.
Amy founded Banksia Support Services — a positive behaviour support and early childhood intervention service — during the 107 days her newborn spent in the Royal Hospital for Women’s NICU after being born at just 23 weeks’ gestation. There, the Maternal-Fetal Medicine team worked tirelessly to keep them both alive.
It was then Amy found the strength to “step into the terrifying reality” of being herself, instead of the person she’d been pretending to be to fit in.
“What came from that was pure joy,” she says.
Amy raised $5000 for the hospital’s foundation during her stay and now, as her daughter gears up for a final appointment after years of treatment for chronic lung disease and a brain injury, she’s ready to close the loop.
“The hospital helped us in so many ways — too many to count. It seems fitting: I raised $5000 for its foundation in those first days of my daughter’s life, and now, as she gets ready to graduate from the development clinic, a happy, healthy little girl, I want to bookend it with another donation to celebrate all they do for women and babies.”
In writing her chapter of Authenticity & Action, Amy has probed what it means to be authentic in a world where authenticity isn’t always recognised, celebrated or even tolerated.
She’s also shared some key tenets of her own.
“Be self-aware and courageous, even if it isn’t popular. Understand vulnerability is the birthplace of connection, and that courage and self-compassion are often hard-won,” she says.
“And embrace imperfection. I believe that’s what makes me good at what I do. It’s what’s helped me support more than 400 people in our community.
“These days, I bounce out of bed. I’m still terrified most of the time of making a fool of myself. But I want my headstone to read: ‘She was scared, and she did it anyway.'”
The Authenticity & Action launch and fundraising social takes place Saturday 15 November at Towradgi Beach Hotel.
