WICHITA, KS — A Kansas cowboy fighting cancer was granted one last wish before his death thanks to family and friends: to see his beloved horse.
Kevin Adkins passed away Tuesday after a three year battle with cancer.
For nearly two decades prior to his death, he spent every day with his 27-year-old horse, Vic.
"They've been partners for all these years,” said Jennifer Wadley from D&J Ranch. "It could be pouring rain, it could be snowing, it could hotter than heck, he was always here."
Friends say even before his cancer, the 55-year-old cowboy would spend hours sitting, watching and caring for Vic.
"Take the time to brush him, pick his feet, and spend time with him, and that went on every day," said Wadley.
Adkins wasn’t able to see his horse for weeks when cancer kept him in the hospital.
Friends and family decided to come together to grant him one last wish.
"It's truly a love story between a man and a horse," Wadley said.
Friends at the ranch say it will feel empty now that Adkins is gone, but they’ll remember him as someone who was always there to offer a smile.
“He’d always come riding Vic up, so we’d have a beer together or just sit and talk. I’m going to miss those times,” Megan Hoover-Wadley said.
Vic will be an honorary pallbearer at Adkins' funeral on Feb. 15.
The Kevin B. Adkins Cowboy Relief Fund has been set up in Adkins’ honor. The funds will help other families in the cowboy community.
