When he was just 19 months, little Trucker Dukes got some terrible news: he was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.
The three-year-old from Hawaii has stage 4 neuroblastoma, and so he and his mum came to New York for the best treatment.
His firefighter dad Joshua stayed in Hawaii with Trucker’s three siblings.
Naturally, Trucker misses his dad, and that’s probably why he was so drawn to Captain Jim Grismer from Fire Department New York (FDNY). Well, that and the fact that – adorably - he truly believes he’s a firefighter himself!
The pair met when Trucker saw Jim exit Engine 22 after getting a call to the Ronald McDonald House where Trucker was staying at the time.
“I see this little boy excitedly walking towards me with his eyes aglow. I opened my arms and he basically climbed up and hugged me around the neck,” Jim wrote on Facebook.
“It was as if we’ve been friends and brothers for years.”
Since then, the pair have become inseparable. What’s more, fellow FDNY firefighters have welcomed the little boy and his mum, and are happy to let them have a look around various firehouses throughout their time in the Big Apple.
They even hosted little Trucker’s birthday party recently – and the tot is set to be sworn in as an honorary firefighter.
An oath ceremony will be held at the end of the month at the FDNY HQ in Brooklyn.
“This honour is so special to us because Trucker-Boy really thinks he’s a fireman,” Trucker’s mum Shauna wrote on Facebook.
“We are so blessed to have been adopted by the FDNY. Time and time again, I have watched big tough men fall in love with Trucker. It’s really something special.”
We reckon we’d fall for this little guy too! Read the full post below.
