The realization of This Little Light Of Mine is due in large part to the hundreds of friends and co-workers who cared enough to put their faith into action and offer encouraging words to Kevin and me. Their encouragements not only became the framework of this book but offered us additional strength to carry on. Only their given names are listed, but they know who they are.

The leadership and members of Millers Creek Baptist Church became our rocks in the time of storms with their unwavering support. Pastor Jim Gore and children's minister Shannon Critcher were stalwarts of prayer for us. Craig Church, student pastor, became Kevin's closest ally through his constant intercession with God on Kevin's behalf.

The Wilkes Journal-Patriot staff, including publisher Jule Hubbard, editor Charles Williams, and reporters Frances Hayes and Karin M. Clack, championed Kevin's battles with numerous articles heightening their readers' awareness of cancer. Many of those articles and excerpts are contained in this book. Thank you...from father and son. Thank you from father and son.

We were blessed with a great medical team at the Brenner Children's Hospital at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This team was led by Dr. Allen Chauvenet, Dr. Tom McLean, and Dr. Marcia Wofford. Dr. McLean or "Tom," as you will come to know him through his e-mails, was with us all the way. He was more than just a caring, compassionate doctor. He became one of our dearest friends, willing to do whatever he could for Kevin any time and any hour of the day or night. My partner in research, his tenacity bought Kevin valuable time. Nurses Nancy Smith, Debby Cohen, Diane Samelak, Gina Idol, Billie, Dan, Terry, and Shea became our family, too. Liz Clark, his teacher, kept Kevin in the know while he was hospitalized. Jeff Ungetheim offered tremendous counsel.

Dr. William (Bill) Ward, an orthopedic surgeon, became a wonderful friend and inspiration to Kevin. His surgical expertise is legendary. Dr. Tom Pranikoff and Dr. Michael Hines were marvelous surgeons as well.

The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center team, along with God's grace, gave Kevin an additional fifteen months of life by providing the greatest of care. Dr. Pete Anderson, a pediatric oncologist and cancer researcher, endeared himself to us as a special friend, as did his chief nurse Peggy Pearson and nurses Maritza, Paula, Sandi, Nicole, and Toni. Pete's easy-going style and incredible knowledge base were truly inspirational. He and Kevin relished talking about the Civil War era, a passion for both of them. The entire nursing staff at M. D. Anderson constantly offered empathy and caring. Dr. Scott Evans was a reservoir of knowledge on Kevin's pulmonary issues.

Dr. Craig Bennett and Dr. John Pontzer offered great support locally. They were always inquiring about Kevin's progress and received notes from the specialists.

Physical therapy was a big part of Kevin's rehabilitation. In essence, he had to learn to use his right leg again. Randy Poteat, a physical therapist, came to our rescue and gave Kevin literally hours of therapy, good conversation, and encouragement, and became a wonderful friend.

Tony Mancusi's special gift was his love of music, which he readily shared with Kevin as teacher and pupil. Music, especially the guitar, became a passion for Kevin as he turned to it for solace and inspiration.

MillersCreek Intermediate School, Mt. Pleasant Elementary School, Wilkes Career Education Center, North Wilkesboro Elementary School, C. C. Wright Elementary School, and the entire Wilkes County Schools system's staff and employees offered financial and familial support. West Wilkes High School students and staff were truly loved by Kevin and they loved him back. Fran Cantrell, the school nurse, was with us all the way as you will read in her e-mails.

Kenneth Crouse's advice in the area of alternative medicine gave us additional hope that healing can come in many forms. His words of encouragement meant so much to us.

The positive influence of Martha "Ms. Martha" McGee's nurturing and love laid a firm, Christian foundation for Kevin's life. She and her husband, "Mr. David," embodied the essence of a devoted, Christian family.    

Terri, Steve, Andrew, and Lindsay Scott of Oceana, West Virginia, became friends for life as they faced their own ordeals as Steve and Terri's son, Aaron, one of Kevin's dearest friends, battled cancer. Reading Terri's poignant e-mails, you will glimpse the heartache and heroism shouldered by this remarkable lady and her family.

Aaron Scott and Matthew Earney, Kevin's close friends with cancer preceding him in death, were the cement bonding them in a common goal, to beat this disease. Each of them found solace in the presence of the other. Together they weathered many storms. 

The boys in the bands, from the Edge (Gwyn McGlamery, Matthew Francis, Grant Miller, and Ricky Absher) to his beloved Taking Up Arms (Adam Minton, Charlie and Jim Coleman, and Joe Hutchinson), spent many hours together practicing and performing, which was the realization of a dream come true for Kevin. TUA's final appearance was a fundraiser benefiting Kevin's memorial scholarship fund.

Gwyn McGlamery, Kevin's closest friend, shared a special bond with a mutual love of the guitar and music in general. Both boys realized the formation of their own bands. Gwyn and Kevin were inseparable and together shared many trips to the movies, Alaska, the beach, concerts, and even the hospital. Kevin often said, "I never had a brother, but Gwyn seems like one to me." They loved each other like family.

My sisters, Jill Whitman and Naomi Triplett, supported him with frequent calls and cards. Kevin's grandparents, Ralph and Martha Shew (Pa and Granny), were always there for him, and he loved them dearly. Ruby Triplett, also his grandmother, prayed for Kevin constantly, and loved it when he visited her. Kevin's mother, Kathy, loved him dearly and partnered with me during the course of his illness. His absence has created an emptiness in our lives which cannot be filled by another.  

Kevin's life of sacrifice and humility offered the supreme motivation for this book. I continue to learn from the many things he taught me: patience, mercy, forgiveness, courage, and perseverance. Most of all, his faith has been the catalyst to catapult many lives from the mediocre to the superlative. His life served as a challenge to all of us, as Kevin said, to make lemonade from the lemons we often times are given. It is a simple prescription, perhaps, for what troubles us. It is a simple prescription that Kevin proved works over and over, time after time.