If you asked family and friends who Kamil Patel was, they’d say he was someone who loved with his whole heart.
“I would describe Kamil as a magnetic person. People were drawn to him. He had this smile and this energy and everyone had their own story of how much they loved Kamil but the theme of it all was how much Kamil loved them,” said Katy Park, friend.
On Jan. 26, Park and Patel were on their way to a karaoke bar in Southbeach, Miami when tragedy struck. Patel was randomly shot and killed.
“He positioned himself in front of Katy and said, ‘Katy, keep walking.’ That’s the type of person Kamil was. He was brave, he was courageous. He stepped in front of bullets for another human being,” said Will Mason, a high school friend of Kamil’s.
Mason was shook when he heard the news, especially since Patel left this world in such an unspeakable way. He wanted to do something to honor his friend who he had lost touch with over the years, so he decided to create a children’s book in his memory. “Keep Walking” an illustrative book, shares the story of a boy and a girl whose lives intertwine and no matter what life throws at them, the theme is to never give up and always “keep walking.”
A quickstarter campaign has been created to help publish the book. All proceeds from the book will go the Buffalo Rugby Scholarship (Patel was a passionate rugby player) and the Kamil Patel Memorial Scholarship. If you give $10 to the campaign, you will receive a Live Strong bracelet and if you give $20, you will receive a hardcover signed copy of the book. If you would like to contribute to this campaign, you may do so here.
Please take a moment to view this beautiful video of Kamil Patel’s story, told by his loved ones.
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