The wisdom of Mr. Rogers says to look for the helpers. A recent interview with Chris Pope, the owner of Music Medix, identified an unexpected helper.
Kameron Reid Kimsey is 26 years old and was diagnosed with bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia at age two. He was diagnosed with autism at age three. Despite all that, this young man does what he can to bring joy to others.
Pope said Kam came to him for music lessons, but he soon realized it was not the lessons that he needed.
“What he needed was socialization,” he said.
And that is what he receives. These days, in addition to performing with Music Medix, Kam spends his time performing for the residents of Autumn Lane and Lynn Haven with his friend Chris. He sings and plays the guitar and has also been known to play for the lunch crowd at Jarocho’s.
The joy Kam gives to the residents at the nursing facilities by sharing his talent is not lost on Pope, who is amazed by his service to others and gets him to and from the facilities.
Kam’s mother Tonya talked about her son’s journey in a recent email. She said the family moved to Utah with his family in 2004 so he could attend the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. He was four at the time and did well.
They moved back to Georgia in 2014, and Kam attended the Georgia Academy for the Blind. He graduated in 2022.
Tonya said her son always loved music. He tried to sing the songs he heard as a toddler and began playing the guitar with his grandfather at age three. That was when his grandfather bought him his first guitar. Those jam sessions still happen, sometimes over the phone.
The mother shared favorite quotes that show her son’s wit and sense of humor.
She said Kameron has five brothers and sisters. When the other kids were small and being too rowdy, Kam would often say, “I think these kids need to go to jail.” And anytime Kam gets in the car and hears music he’ll say, “Turn it up!Let’s have a jam session.”
He has an amazing memory and is practically a walking/ talking encyclopedia of information about music history, band members, and even knows the birthdays of most all his favorite musicians. When Kameron isn’t playing music,he enjoys hanging out on the porch swing or hammock while listening to music. He also loves listening to crime shows and documentaries and often arrives at a verdict before the sentence is revealed.
“He always opts for the harshest sentence.”
