My Story

HaroldSays and The Be Positive Do Something Positive Day was born out of a lifetime of "trial by fire" (literally) and figuratively speaking. I was born sickly as a child. It was thought that I would never live, but I did.

As an infant I was abandoned by my parents to a loving and caring home; (I even took on the family's last name-Harold Taylor I named myself). My parents eventually came and stole me away from this loving, caring, and nurturing family only to take me hostage to their hateful and hostile environment; (mistakingly referred to as a home).

I was verbally and emotionally abused by my father and mother being told constantly that I was; "Not wanted." "I was a mistake." "I was Foolish, ignorant, and worthless." I was told that I was, "an abortion that lived," as well as many other hurtful and destructive things. 

At about 13 years of age I developed severe appendicitis and had to be rushed to emergency surgery. Peritonitis had set in. I remember being in a hospital room and hearing someone say, "We are losing him." I remember seeing myself from above the hospital bed, then going down a long black tunnel, and all of a sudden seeing a gloriously bright and shining light; (I have never seen a light so bright and I have never experienced such peace in my life before). A voice, not sounding as yours or mine, but a very different and "heavenly" voice nevertheless, told me, "I had a purpose in life," and I was going back to earth. I went back down that long, dark tunnel and was back in my hospital bed. In about a half hour or so I was sitting up, ready to eat, and ready to get going with my life again.

Over the next years as I became a teenager and young adult I tried drugs and alcohol to get rid of the pain and sorrow I felt but they did not help me so I eventually stopped using them as a crutch. As a maturing adult I was never able to find what I was truly looking for in life.

In 1994 I chose to forgive my parents for what they had done to me as their child and son and asked them for forgiveness for all the awful things I had done to them as well. We forgave each other and from that time on, our relationships flourished. My dad, who never told me he loved me or hugged me, was now telling me he loved me every chance he could and it was a wonderful feeling. We frequently hugged each other and I could affectionately kiss him on his cheek, which he enjoyed. My mother who was never one for hugging and for showing affection also became closer and warmer to me. I could even hold her, hug her, and kiss her on the cheek without her freezing up. Life was just beginning to feel good to me.

I married a wonderful woman with 2 sons, and during our marriage we had another son as well. Because of my dysfunctional childhood and past and "stinkin thinking," and "hardening of the attitudes" on my part; or as Bob Butts, president of Cee Kay Auto stores and my friend and mentor, shared with me, because my "software sucked," I was not able to truly love my wife as she deserved and be the husband she needed and wanted, so after 12 years of marriage we divorced. We are now very good and close friends today however. I still wandered through life trying desperately to find, "what I was looking for" as the words in a song from the past proclaim.

My mother died and then my step mother passed away from cancer in the course of two years. In 2004 I realized I had developed two brain tumors. My father, my hero, and "The Wind Beneath My Wings," passed away in April of 2005.

My oldest son developed major problems and issues because of all that had happened in our lives and was placed in a facility for care and treatment before Dad passed away. He is still in the facility but has experienced recovery after extensive therapy and will be coming home to his family and to us soon. Oh what a blessed and wonderul day that will be! He and I love each other very much and are extremely close as a father and son.

In May of 2005 I was burned out of my home; (I was in the home at the time of the fire while it was burning above me), and lost nearly everything I owned. My beloved and wonderful sister had two or three strokes and then decompensated with her mental illness in 2006; because of an error with billing through the state and her not being able to get her medications. She ended up at my home and then in a mental institution; I had to have her placed there for her own safety as well as ours. My life partner also ended up in a mental health facility in 2006 and again in 2007; my partner suffers from schizo affective disorder.

During this time, Winter of 2006 and the early part of 2007, I was helping several consumers with their complaints and problems; helping them to get their complaints resolved or their questions answered.

I lost my marketing and sales job that I absolutely loved I and was totally fulfilled at doing in November of 2006; because of the debilitating symptoms from my brain tumors. I then had to work through the Social Security Disability claims process and the months of waiting and waiting and wondering how I was going to pay my bills.

My youngest son suffered from profound anxiety and depression as a result of all that had happened to him and came to me for help in the Winter of 2006 and Spring of 2007; there is much more about him and his life but that is for another time and place. My middle son attempted suicide and ended up in the hospital in 2007; suffering from severe anxiety and depression.

Several companies were messing with me with overpayments being taken out of my checking account; some were charging me and then not delivering the service as agreed to and other companies promised to withdraw funds from my account on a certain day and then withdrew the funds earlier. This was happening from May of 2006 through the Spring of 2007, causing my checking account to go into major overdraft status. I did get my money back in every situation and got my problems resolved with the bank but I did not need the hassles after everything else I was dealing with.

My love for people, my consumer advocacy service and web blog, The Be Positive Do Something Positve Day and website have all been created as a result of overcoming a lifetime of struggling against the many traumas and negative forces of life I have experienced as well as from being successful at helping consumers get their complaints resolved or their questions answered.

The positive force, energy, and power of HaroldSays exists now because I, Harold Cameron, the Chief of Helping People and Consumer Advocate do certify and attest to the fact that I have defied all the odds, overcome all of the many lifelong obstacles that life has thrust in front of me, and have chosen to remain positive and hopeful. Not only in and for my own life personally, but also for that of my three sons, who I love and adore and who love and adore me, my true friends and for the many consumers I help now on a weekly basis.

I have chosen to deal totally and effectively with the demons of my past, to live responsibly and with love and joy in the present, and to have hope for the future. This is what sustains me and keeps me going today.

If you would like to share your story with me email me and I will respond back to you. I would be delighted to help you in any way that I could. My email address is harold@bepositiveday.com and my phone number is (570) 341-6796; (please try to call between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM EST if possible). I look forward to hearing from you and to helping you if I can in the future.

Be sure to visit my blog at HaroldSays