14-Year-Old Remembered As A 'Natural Inspiration'
By Joel Hillan
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Brain cancer took the life of an inspirational 14-year-old this week.
"He is free," Caley Miller said on Saturday in Aurora at the funeral of her nephew. "Free from his pain, free from his suffering, free from cancer."
Brain cancer took the life of Trevor Kling on Wednesday.
"He didn't let this nasty disease steal his joy," Kendall Hommes said, "Instead he carried on in true T.K. fashion and was a natural inspiration to more people than anyone will ever know. The touch of Trevor Kling will live on forever."
Trevor wrote, "I believe in giving, not getting."
What he gave, every day, was evident in the stories of those who shared memories.
"From seeing who could eat the most iced cream out of rain gutters to doing community service, he always had a bright smile on his face no matter what he was doing," said Trevor's best friend Samuel Fruitman.
"You saw the smile, from when he was a little kid, a little baby, he smiled! Trevor's smile lit up a room," said baseball coach Darren McKee (who also goes by D-Mac on 104.3 The Fan's "The Drive" afternoon sports radio show).
That smile was just a part of the 14-year-old cancer warrior's determination.
CBS4 first covered Kling's story in 2015 when his Aurora community rallied behind the avid sports fan. Then last month, the Lakewood police department honored Kling by giving him a chance to be a police officer for a day.
Despite 14 months of chemotherapy and 34 radiation treatments, Trevor missed only one day of school. All while carrying a 3.87 GPA.
Hommes pointed out that this has to affect his classmates.
"That gave someone the determination to go, 'You know, I'm not going to quit today. Trevor didn't quit, I'm not going to quit.' And they worked harder and made a better person out of themselves," he said.
Kling touched lives of people he never met and encouraged them to be better.
"He will never be forgotten," promised Miller, "He will live on in our hearts forever. Trevor we miss you."
Trevor's family has a GoFundMe page.
Joel Hillan anchors CBS4 This Morning on weekends as well as reports stories for CBS4 News at 5 and 6 p.m. Follow Joel on Twitter @joelhillan.
