Farmington Teen's Snocross Wishes Come True
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thursday's snow was the perfect complement to a Farmington teen's dream come true.
Nick Kraml, 14, is battling a cancer so rare that his mom says only three patients have been seen with it at Children's Hospital.
He's been responding to treatments though, and was well enough to show up at Canterbury Park's Snocross track in Shakopee.
The avid snowmobile fan thought he was there to watch Tucker Hibbert, the number-one ranked Snocross racer in the U.S. -- but he was in for quite a surprise.
"I can't imagine being in his position," Tucker said. "It's a really tough deal for him."
Thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Arctic Cat, the leukemia patient was about to meet Tucker and get a replica of his sled.
"It's not like an old Craigslist, you know, beater we found and got for a hundred bucks," Tucker said. "This thing is brand new."
In fact, it was a brand-new machine. Tucker led Nick to the prize, and he quietly absorbed the gift.
The avid snowmobiler quickly identified the bells and whistles. Nick and his family come to this event as patrons each year to watch the sleds fly.
"They're fun, loud," Nick said. "[I] like the noise. Smells better than perfume."
His mother, Lisa Kraml, reflected on the past few months as her son stood on his new ride. He was just diagnosed over the summer.
"He came from the point, you know, [of] not being able to walk this summer to now where he can actually go out and ride snowmobiles," Lisa said.
The day ended with Nick riding side by side with one of the sport's greats. It was a Minnesota boy's dream come true.
"Best day in a long time," Nick said.
Lisa says he's still got about eight months of treatment left, but his prognosis is good.
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