T.V. star helps girl heal

Published 9:47 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

After seeing the Rev. Eric Camden from the hit television show “7th Heaven” in her living room on a weekly basis for the last eight years, it seemed natural to Jessica Kitz to turn to him for help during a family crisis.

Last August, Jessica’s 15-year-old cousin Kyle drowned in a river near Bend, Ore. When Jessica’s mother Becky received the heartbreaking news, she was so distraught that she didn’t know what to do.

Nineteen-year-old Jessica, a recent Mount Si High School graduate, responded reassuringly, “I know what to do, Mom. We’ll e-mail [the] Rev. Camden. He’ll know exactly what to do.”

The next thing Becky knew, Jessica, who has Down syndrome, had found actor Stephen Collins’ personal e-mail address on the Internet and was busily typing a letter to him. Becky helped Jessica finish the e-mail and Jessica immediately felt better knowing that she had asked for help from a trusted friend.

By the time the Kitz family had returned from the funeral in Oregon, there was an e-mail waiting for them from Collins, the actor who portrays Camden.

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