After the heartbreaking loss of my 15-year-old son Ben, I expected support from my family—but what I got instead was silence. While they disappeared during Ben’s long illness, his best friend Daniel never missed a single hospital visit. Daniel brought comic sketches, shared laughs, and stood by Ben during the most difficult moments. Before he passed, Ben asked me to promise one thing: to give his college savings to Daniel if he didn’t make it. I said yes, not knowing just how much that promise would later mean.
Months later, my relatives gathered for dinner and shocked me by asking about Ben’s college fund—implying they or their children should receive it. I calmly told them it was going to Daniel. Their reaction was disbelief and anger, arguing that the money should “stay in the family.” But I reminded them none of them had been there for Ben—no calls, no visits, no goodbyes. Only Daniel knew the song Ben wanted to hear in his final moments. Only Daniel had stayed.
