Every now and then a heartwarming story like this pops up, one that goes far beyond music. Sharon Kawa sent this letter to Syracuse.com detailing her daughter Kristen’s struggle with ALS, a horrible neurodegenerative disease that has taken the lives of Lou Gehrig and countless others. 

Kawa shared the story of her daughter’s love for the Dave Matthews Band, and one night she got to meet the band’s namesake before a show prior to the band’s last visit there. As she notes, her daughter at the time was in the final stages of ALS and created a book to leave behind for her children using some of her favorite quotes, many of which came from Matthews’ lyrics.

Kristen brought with her the book and according to Kawa, Matthews and her daughter sat together for quite some time before the band hit the stage. In the months that followed, they stayed in touch before Kristen’s unfortunate passing in December of 2013. 

Read Sharon’s full note below. 

As Dave Matthews and his band roll into Syracuse to entertain at the Lakeview Amphitheater, I’d like to share a story about this kind man and my lovely daughter, Kristen Kawa Caron, who passed away Dec. 21, 2013.

A wonderful friend of my daughter’s arranged a “meet and greet” for her with Dave. He very rarely does this but made an exception for her. My daughter, who was in the final stages of ALS, had put together a beautiful book to leave behind for her children using some of her favorite quotes, many from Dave’s songs. She could no longer speak but had come prepared to the concert with questions and of course, this book of remembrance. He and his staff were really taken with Kristen and spent quite a bit of time with her before they took the stage.

Both Kristen and Dave bonded over their choices of favorite books. What many didn’t know was that the following day, Dave emailed Kristen and continued to do so for many months thereafter. They sent each other books; hers to him was “The Great Gatsby.”

His generosity meant so much to my lovely daughter who kept this connection close to her heart. So thank you, Dave, and all your staff, who were so very kind.

Sharon Kawa
Syracuse