Turlock Boy, 7, Spends Day As City's Honorary Mayor
TURLOCK (CBS13) – It was a school assembly everyone knew about except one student: Koran.
"So today there's a huge level of excitement on our school campus as we get to watch Koran have an amazing day," said Tami Truax, the principal at Cunningham Elementary.
Second grader Koran Rudd was diagnosed with leukemia last year. He missed several weeks of school, but this year is a good year. Koran's cancer is in remission.
"He was very courageous and we are very thrilled he's starting the year off healthy and full of life," Truax said.
And he had no idea he'd be a celebrity on this day.
Make-a-Wish Foundation picked him up in a limo. But the day's wish was all about trains – Koran's favorite thing.
"One reason is they're really fast, and they're loud too," Koran said.
For lunch, he ate in an old train car at 10 East Kitchen.
"Well, it's a pretty cool restaurant inside," Koran said.
But he's spending the day as Turlock's honorary mayor.
"Mayor Rudd is a great strong citizen in Turlock and the fact that he wanted to have a Make-a-Wish granted, wanted to be mayor for the day, how could I say no to that?" said City of Turlock Mayor Gary Soiseth. "I was very excited to work with him making this wish possible."
The adventures around town were really to get Koran away from home so that Make-a-Wish could engineer his bedroom with everything train-related.
It's a day that marks him being on track for a happy and healthy year.