Wishes
Sam gets an adventure
and gets to meet his Duck Dynasty heroes.
By Alycia Cohara – Leprechaun’s Trip Ambassador
In August 2021, Sam and his dad, JR, were working on Sam’s riding lawn mower in their rural West Virginia driveway, just as they had many times before. A neighbor gave Sam the lawn mower so he could earn extra money to help support their family of eight. Something happened that day that caused the drained gas to ignite. It startled Sam and as he got up to move away, he flipped the pan of gas on himself. Sam’s dad was also burned trying to help Sam.
Sam was life flighted to Akron Children’s Burn unit where he spent the next 90 days being treated for 3rd and 4th degree burns over more than 70% of his body. Over the following year, he made regular trips back to Akron for continued treatments and reconstructive surgeries.
During his time in the hospital, he and his mom would watch recorded episodes of Duck Dynasty to pass the time. One of Sam’s nurses contacted the Leprechauns to see if we could connect Sam with his heroes: the guys from Duck Dynasty.
The Robertson family from Duck Dynasty receives countless requests for appearances and in person meetings. After hearing Sam’s story, and how The Leprechaun Foundation operates anonymously, Willie agreed to meet the family. With help from Sam’s mom Stephanie, the planning began.
The Robertson family from Duck Dynasty receives countless requests for appearances and in person meetings. After hearing Sam’s story, and how The Leprechaun Foundation operates anonymously, Willie agreed to meet the family. With help from Sam’s mom Stephanie, the planning began.
They live in a very rural part of West Virginia where Stephanie home schools the children. JR is pastor of a local church. Other than Akron, Sam and his family had never been outside of West Virginia. They wanted to see as many states as possible and were beyond excited for the adventure.
Our friends at Baron’s Bus Lines provided a large passenger van that Sam’s dad and granddad agreed to drive giving the family their own space and privacy along the way. My husband and I acted as their Ambassadors from The Leprechaun Foundation while traveling and followed behind in our car taking care of arrangements for the meet and greets, tours and various expenses like food, lodging and souvenirs.
The adventure began bright and early Tuesday morning, October 17, 2023, when we left their home heading to our first stop: the Grand Ole Opry. This was the first concert any of the kids had attended.
The next morning, after taking in a few of Nashville’s sights, we were on our way to Memphis for lunch at a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (JR’s favorite show). From there, we continued to West Monroe, Louisiana.
Thursday morning was the big day. At Duck Commander, we met brother Jase and commander Martin who gave the family a guided tour. During the tour, they got to make their own souvenir duck calls. Uncle Cy left autographed mugs for each of the children and an autographed copy of his book for Sam.
After souvenir shopping, it was on to Willie’s house where the family met both Willie and his black lab Spaz. The most memorable moment occurred when Willie took his signature headband off his head, signed it, and gave it to Sam. After all the excitement, we made our way to Birmingham, Alabama for the night.
Friday morning, it was back home to West Virginia. Friday was also JR’s birthday so there was a little celebration during the dinner stop that evening. After four days, seven states, about 1800 miles that included the mighty Mississippi River, the family was back home around 9 pm Friday night to an unexpected donation of a Honda 4-wheeler for Sam.
The Leprechaun Foundation would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who helped make this wish a reality for Sam. We’re sure that the knowledge that you made a child’s dream come true is reward enough for all of your extraordinary efforts.