Young truck fan gets monster surprise

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

The Daily Inter Lake

A Helena Flats third-grader received an unexpected birthday surprise this weekend: free tickets to a monster truck show and a chance to meet the drivers.

Brenton Erickson loves cars and trucks, so an evening of roaring engines, flying dirt and giant trucks on wheels that can crush sedans like tin cans was an appropriate present for his 10th birthday.

It was a gift through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which contacted Brenton's family early last week.

"They called Monday, completely out of the blue," according to Brenton's mother, Shawn.

In October 2004, Brenton was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which is slowly breaking down his muscles. The genetic disorder affects boys almost exclusively. Those afflicted are typically in a wheelchair by age 12 and face a shortened life span.

Teachers at Helena Flats School were the first to suspect something was wrong when Brenton began falling frequently, Shawn Erickson said. A doctor in Kalispell made the initial diagnosis, which was confirmed at Shodair Children's Hospital in Helena.

Brenton started physical and occupational therapy to strengthen his weakening muscles, but the weekly sessions ended when the family's insurance company stopped covering them.

While there's no cure for the disease, there is a drug available that can slow its progression slightly. But Brenton's parents thought prednisone's potential side effects - which can include vision problems, seizures and shortness of breath - weren't worth it.

"We decided not to," Erickson said. "It's not kind to kids."

"It's not kind to anybody," her husband, Joe, added.

Last June, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted Brenton's wish to visit Legoland in San Diego. The organization paid for the whole family to fly round-trip to California, where, in addition to the Lego-themed amusement park, the Ericksons visited SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo.

Attending the monster truck show Saturday was just one of the "extra little fun things" Make-A-Wish tries to do for its children, said Jillian Bell of the organization's Spokane office.

In addition to attending one of this weekend's shows, Brenton got to meet Dave Harkey, who has driven Bigfoot, the original monster truck, for 19 years.

Harkey picked Brenton up Friday morning and drove him to school. Due to liability, icy roads and Bigfoot's single seat and lack of street legality, Harkey couldn't take him in the monster truck. But even without it, the driver was the star of Cheryl Barber's classroom for about an hour as Brenton's classmates bombarded him with questions.

How do you get into the truck?

How tall are the wheels?

Can it fly?

Is your car magic?

The children were intrigued by the idea of climbing into the truck from underneath and tried to imagine tires that wouldn't fit in their classroom. They didn't seem too upset when Harkey told them the truck neither flew nor possessed mystical powers.

"It can't fly, but it'll jump really high in the air," he said.

Brenton took it all in quietly. He turned shy if Harkey spoke to him directly and didn't join his classmates' enthusiastic interrogation, but Erickson said her son was excited about the show.

He just wants to be a normal little boy, she said - to enjoy his video games and cars and trucks.

"He's just refusing to give up," she said.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.