Ten-year-old Weston Paszkiewicz has faced more in the past year than most kids his age, but his family says nothing slows him down.
“He’s just a kid that’s curious, adventurous and nothing stops him,” Weston’s dad, John Paszkiewicz, said.
That mindset has carried Weston through months of leukemia treatment.
“I don’t think he even knows what failing is,” John said. “He kinda just keeps rollin’.”
Since his diagnosis last January, Weston has spent much of his time in the hospital. But on Thursday, he had somewhere special to be.
With police sirens leading the way and neighbors lining the streets to cheer him on, Weston received a hero’s sendoff from his hometown of Long Lake..
“We would not be able to do this without our community,” John said, “it’s been incredible.”
“It’s everything,” his aunt, Stephanie Mehrkens, said. “Family is everything, community is everything. Every single day since diagnosis, the outpouring of love has been truly amazing.”
Weston and his family made the trip to Grand Casino Arena, where the Make-A-Wish Foundation helped make his dream come true, signing a one-day contract with the Minnesota Wild.
“If I know anything about Weston, it’s how much he loves hockey,” said their family’s pastor, Adam Butler. “Any of us who have ever played hockey want to sign a contract with an NHL team, so that’s a pretty dang good day, I’d say.”
After signing his contract, Weston got a behind-the-scenes look at the Wild’s locker room and joined the team for its morning skate.
Before the puck drops Thursday night, Weston is set to carry the flag out to center ice before watching the game with his family in a suite.
“We hope he has the energy for the whole day ’cause it’ll be a lot. It’s more than he’s done in a long time,” John said.
But those who know him say Weston’s strength has never wavered.
“That’s something we’ve seen through this entire process,” John said. “He just rolls with it and really never gives up.”
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