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"Drew considered his cancer as a circumstance, not a disease. And he certainly didn't want any special treatment. He wanted to be treated just like a normal teenager," said his mother, Margarett Hamilton of Whittier.
Far from normal, "Drew Hamilton" soon become a household name in Jackson County. Many individuals and groups took up his cause, raising money for his medical expenses. The frequent accounts of his progress and fund-raisers had Herald readers identifying with his courageous battle.
One example was when a teacher from his school - Smokey Mountain Elementary - learned that Ronald McDonald houses used money raised from can tabs to help provide for the families staying there. Children around the county worked to collect the tabs. One student from Cullowhee Valley School even brought in 3,000 tabs from his personal collection.
Drew reciprocated that concern and support to others facing difficulties. While he was a patient at St. Jude's Children Hospital, he met a young man who refused to eat or leave his room. This had gone on for more than 2 1/2 months. Drew went to the young man's room, and though no one knows what was said, the two ended up going out to dinner that night.
"Drew didn't give up and he refused to let anyone else give up," said his mother, who provided yet another example.
A little, 7-year-old girl at the hospital was withdrawn, refusing to speak to anyone or leave her room. She and Drew soon became inseparable.
"The girl was a picky eater, so at night she and Drew would raid the pantries to find what she liked. They even raced their wheelchairs down the hallways. Drew got her to speak, play and even laugh," Mrs. Hamilton said.
"Drew put aside his fears to help others," said family friend Jerry Egelus.
"And he had such a concern for others," said another friend, Laura Spalding. "When he was at the hospital and a lot of people were staying at his house, Drew would ask how they were and if they were having to sleep on the floor."
When he was at school, Drew would ask a lot of questions, too. His teachers remember how classes would begin with Drew saying, "I have a question." As an eager student, Drew never stopped asking for the information he needed to understand an issue. He was determined not to get behind in school, said his mother.
"While Drew was away at St. Jude's, his teachers could not send enough work fast enough. As soon as he finished his homework, he would fax it back to school," she said. "I can remember many times he stayed up all night doing homework before he was to have surgery that morning. He would remind me to fax his homework to school as he was being wheeled to surgery."
Drew was a member of the Beta Club and a New Century Scholar, for which he earned a presidential commendation for community service. He earned five awards at his eighth-grade graduation.
When Drew was first diagnosed with melanoma, doctors gave him two months to live. That was in 1999. To the very end - through all of his surgeries and illness - family and friends never related to him as "ill."
His mother recalled a day a Hospice worker came to help plan his final stages of life.
"She walked up to Drew, who was outside laying down a water line to his dog house, and asked where Drew Hamilton was," said his mother. "She was looking for somebody who acted sick. But that wasn't Drew."
"Drew was full of energy to the end. I think all of the people who knew, loved and supported him would appreciate knowing that," his mother said. "I imagine him up in Heaven right now saying, 'I have a question.'"
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Hamilton