Is this sentence correct?

Question

"Thanks to the best man I know, the one without not one single word of this paper would ever have been written. Thank you for believing in me, Mr XXX"

It is a thank you note on my Thesis,

I would usually ask firends, but I do nto want to spoil the surprise for the person I am writing about. Thank you very much

Answer 1

"...the one without whom..."