A Duluth native was given the red carpet treatment today thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Four-year old Eliot Kramer, who is battling leukemia, put Duluth's iconic Aerial Lift Bridge to the test.
If you heard the bridge's horn around noon today, that was Eliot.
He's a shy boy, but today his face said it all.
"He was just smiling," said bridge supervisor Ryan Beamer. "Every time he'd do it he'd get a big old grin."
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Eliot has battled leukemia since age two and a half, and his wish to blow the lift bridge horn comes from a darker time in the fight.
"We always wanted to get away when his treatment was the worst," said Eliot's mother, Sara.
Eliot was born in Duluth, but now the family lives in the Twin Cities. Trips to Duluth have helped the family feel some relief, and Eliot remembers that.
"When they started saying, 'If you could do anything, what would you want to do?' He said, 'Go to Duluth,'" said Eliot's father, Aron.
Eliot had a simple request for the Make-A-Wish foundation: He wanted to blow the lift bridge horn.
"We thought he'd go up there and maybe -- maybe -- would push the horn," said Aron. "But he got up there and was 'Honk! Honk!' all over."
His wish had been granted, but Duluthians didn't stop there.
Surrounded by family and friends, Eliot went from the lift bridge to the Vista Star, and he was the one wearing the captain's hat.
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"Right now, in this moment, it's just kind of a real piece of joy for him," said his father.
Eliot wasn't the only person smiling.
Those who made his wish possible say they were more than happy to help.
"They shouldn't be thanking us, we should be thanking them for giving us the opportunity to help out," said Beamer.
Every day, Eliot is reminded of his fight with leukemia, but today was different.
"It lifts us up. It allows us to kind of let the stress just evaporate," said Aron Kramer.
"I imagine this will be something he remembers for the rest of his life," said Sara Kramer.
Eliot and his family are headed home on Monday.
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His parents have said Eliot is now in a three-year maintenance phase of treatment for the leukemia and is doing very well.
