Sometimes I imagine that my son Cameron is still overseas serving in the Air Force -- and then Key Bank (HQ-Cleveland, Ohio) sends a bill demanding that I pay for his student loans, and reminds me that my son is dead.
Cameron committed suicide after suffering from a traumatic brain injury that left him depressed and eventually led to a psychotic episode. It's been a year since Cameron killed himself, and Key Bank still won't leave my family alone. I'm doing my best to grieve and to help his siblings cope with the loss of their brother -- but the bank has relentlessly harassed my family since the day Cameron died. Key Bank forgives student loans on a "case-by-case" basis, but I think all student loans should be forgiven when a student dies.
Cameron was my first child, and I was so proud of his ambition and accomplishments. After college he enlisted in the Air Force and became a cryptologist, studying how to break codes. Then, after serving for six years in the Middle East, Texas, and Japan, Cameron was in an accident and suffered from brain damage. When he came home, Cameron was depressed, had hallucinations, and eventually killed himself.
Cameron made payments on his loans while he was alive, but now that he's gone the bank is demanding payment from me -- and with Cameron's brother and sister to care for, I just don't have the money to pay off his loans and suffer the painful reminders of the loss of my son.
All of Cameron's other debts were wiped away after his death, including his federal student loans. But Key Bank doesn't follow the same repayment rules as the government and continues to demand payment on his student loans.
Key Bank already folded to public pressure once in response to a Change.org petition, forgiving the loans of another student who died and agreeing to review loan forgiveness on a case-by-case basis. That's why I know that if enough people sign my petition, Key Bank will consider changing their policy and forgiving all loans when a student has died.
Click here to sign my petition and urge Key Bank to forgive Cameron's student loan and change their policy to wipe out the debt of other students who have died.
Thank you so much for your help,
Kim Akers, Wake Forest, North Carolina
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