GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Not long ago, Kaden Stevenson was in the hospital fighting for his life. Around Christmas, the flu and strep caused an infection that spread to Kaden's bloodstream. He lost both of his legs during the recovery process, but now that he's graduated from rehab, Kaden can call himself a survivor.
Now it's time to celebrate, and Kaden received a one-of-a-kind party Friday night.
Nearly one hour before fans at Van Andel Arena got to see any of the Monster Jam trucks take to the dirt, Kaden was already checking out the giant machines and rubbing elbows with their drivers.
Kaden received an exclusive meet-and-greet with the drivers. Weston Anderson was there with the world famous Grave Digger. Bernard Lyght showed off Megalodon. Armando Castro, the driver of El Toro Loco was there too. And the drivers seemed to be just as happy to see Kaden as he was to see them.
"He has the most kind heart ever. He kept telling us he didn't have a favorite. He's cheering for all of us. It just shows that he is such a loving individual," said Linsey Read, the driver of Scooby Doo.
"We really want to do the best that we can possibly do tonight to show him that we really care that he's here, that he made it out, and that he's fighting."
Kaden meets the drivers from Monster Jam
Kaden's mother Michele described the trip to Monster Jam as a dream come true for her son.
"We've been here before, but to have the experience we had tonight is completely different from before - having the opportunity to meet the monster truck drivers and get up close and person with the truck. That one-on-one attention for him made my heart smile," she said.
With his life's biggest fight behind him, Kaden now gets to focus on his dream of becoming a monster truck driver himself one day.
"He's not going to give up on what he wants to do," Michele said.
"That's the main important thing for me as a mother, just to let him know everything that we did before whether it's soccer or karate or monster trucks. He still has the opportunity to do it."
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