Wish granted: Terminally ill veteran gets dream vacation
The last four months haven’t been easy for Ricke Hassler and his family. On Jan. 3, Hassler, a local veteran and a manager at Pier Five Hundred in Hudson, was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic and liver cancer. He was given less than a year to live.
With all the stress of his medical appointments, bills and planning for a future without him, the Hassler family needed a vacation to share some time together and build happy memories.
That’s exactly what they got on Friday, April 17, when they were paid a visit from two St. Croix County veterans.
Roger Larson, chairman of the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors, and Dale Cotch, St. Croix County Veterans Service Officer, were chosen by the Dreams for Veterans program to deliver a “dream basket” to Ricke that included balloons, hats, T-shirts and everything Ricke, his wife Lisa and daughter Molly would need to cover a five-day trip to Tybee Island in Georgia. (Read more)