NASCAR Obsessed Terminally Ill Boy Using Dying Wish To Get Racing Stickers for Casket
A young racecar fan from Iowa has been battling leukemia since he was 9 years old.
Now, he’s made a heartbreaking request to the racing community. He’d like some racing stickers to decorate his casket.
Caleb Hammond, from Oskaloosa, Iowa, just turned 11 in August. He’s decided, with his family’s blessing, not to continue with his cancer treatments.
The decision wasn’t an easy one to make — but after a year and a half of aggressive, painful chemo treatments and bone marrow transplants, the cancer returned to Caleb’s body, even more aggressive than before.
Caleb doesn’t want to spend his final days in a hospital.
He’d rather be at the racetrack, when he’s feeling up to it, or relaxing at home with his family, including his two siblings Carly and Kaiden Hammond.
“They decided to call it quits and come home and be a kid and do the things he hasn’t been able to do the last year and a half,” said Caleb’s uncle, Chris Playle.
It was Playle who first introduced Caleb to the world of racing. The duo has been enjoying Nascar since Caleb was just 2 years old.
For his 11th birthday, Caleb received a huge surprise — a full day of racing at Southern Iowa Speedway on Aug. 18.
Caleb got to suit up, learn to drive, and zoom his way to victory among a supportive crowd in the stands, cheering him on.
For Caleb, being on the racetrack feels comfortable and natural. “I don’t know, it’s just — been in my blood since I was a kid,” Caleb told KTVO-TV.
The excitement of the day was almost enough to make everyone forget that Caleb’s body was being ravaged by cancer.
Making memories like this, while there is still time, is of the utmost priority to Caleb and his family. Also, collecting stickers, which Caleb wants on his casket when the time comes.
“We’re trying to get a bunch of them,” Playle said. “We’re trying to decorate his casket.”
“We’re just trying to do as much as we can with him while he’s here.”
To contribute to Caleb’s sticker collection, send cards and stickers to Caleb Hammond’s family: 314 North J Street, Oskaloosa, IA 52577.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
