Children's Wish delivers on Ontario teen's passion to see the Calgary Stampede
CBC News | Posted: July 8, 2016 6:06 PM | Last Updated: July 8, 2016
Ontario teenager says it is his 'wish come true.'
18-year old Aaron Ruperd is in Calgary to watch the rodeo, chuckwagon races and all the horse shows the Stampede has to offer. And he got white-hatted at the airport when he arrived too.
Ruperd who is from Harrow, ON, was born with cerebral palsy and has limited movement.
But he's always been passionate about horses and has wanted to come to the Calgary Stampede for a long time.
"He's in love with horses and he does therapeutic riding and that's what he wanted to see," said his mother Christine Ruperd.
The Children's Wish Foundation approached the family, asking what Aaron would like to do.
"Oh yeah as soon as he heard horses he was all over it," said Christine.
His grandparents own four horses, she says.
As the Ruperd family arrived at the Calgary International Airport, Aaron was white-hatted.
The family will also get a chance to go to Spruce Meadows later in the week.
"It's amazing, it's amazing, it's an amazing day," said Christine.
- MORE STAMPEDE NEWS | Calgary Stampede parade draws hundreds of thousands of onlookers
- MORE ALBERTA NEWS | Nurse practitioners 'grossly underutilized,' Alberta group tells province