Arlington first grader battling cancer gets trip to Hawaii

A first grader who has been fighting cancer since he was one-years-old is headed on a dream vacation.

Micah Ahern is a first grader at Ditto Elementary in Arlington and he'll celebrate his 7th birthday next week. A week later he's off to Hawaii with his family, where Micah has always wanted to go.

“I get to learn how to surf,” Micah said.

The Make A Wish Foundation is making Micah's dream come true and on Thursday he got a true hero's send off.

"His number one thing was to surf and see a volcano,” said mom Linda Ahern.

Micah was one when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that strikes young children. Surgeries brought the cancer under control in 2010, but three years later it was back.

There have been challenges for Micah and his family, but Micah seems to always have strength enough for everyone.

"He does everything with a smile on his face he doesn't know his deal is a bad deal. That going to the hospital is not fun he doesn't know that fighting cancer is a tough thing,” Linda said.

Sometimes when fighting cancer, the bad days can outweigh the good. But Thursday was a very good day for Micah and his family, even as they hope for recovery.

"We're really praying for a miracle and trust God can do that but at this point a miracle is what he needs,” Linda said.