Blake Cooper Appleton, a Lake Wales youngster who came to represent the resilience and spirit of sick children everywhere, passed away Tuesday at the age of 9.

In an interview at The Lake Wales News Dec. 15, Blake and his mother, Miranda Appleton, talked about their day-to-day lives as well as the ostensible reason for the interview; that Blake had received a phone call from his hero, pro football player Tim Tebow. The phone call had been arranged by a Frostproof teen, Emma Hill, who met Blake at a Rotary breakfast.