Dakota “Bubba” Cadd loves nothing more than sitting outside and watching the big rigs drive past his house.
His mother Peggy Cadd told Land Line Magazine: “He’s loved trucks since he was 2 and we took him on a trip to Florida. He couldn’t talk very well, but he kept saying ‘truck’ all the way to Florida and back.”
“Ever since then, he’s wanted to be outside and get the trucks to honk their horns.”
The 16-year-old was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a congenital brain malformation that delays the development of motor skills. As a result, Bubba needs a wheelchair to get around, but he has no problem pumping his arm and encouraging 18-wheelers to honk. In fact, as Overdrive Online says, Bubba is “long known to the haulers” around the Milton, Washington area.
Earlier this year, Mark King, a truck driver for CH Hall Trucking in Stillman Valley, Illinois, noticed the enthusiastic teen in the front yard on Highway 26.
The man grew up with a special needs sister and has a soft spot for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, Mark didn’t have a horn to honk for Bubba, but he still wanted to do something that would bring a smile to the teen’s face.
In an interview with CBS News, Peggy recalled: “Dakota was out in his normal spot, sitting there, pumping his arm, and I noticed there was a bag on the ground.”
“It was a little semi truck… and I realized that somebody had taken the time to stop on the highway and throw this package for my son over the five-foot fence.”
Touched by the stranger’s surprise, Peggy took to Facebook to share the tale. Little did she know, however, things would only get better from there.
“Our Bubba (aka Dakota) loves to watch for semis by our home on Hwy. 26 in Milton,” she wrote.
“Today he found a present that was thrown over the fence… a new hat, t-shirt & semi truck! All he kept saying was Wow, Wow”
“He’s in heaven playing with is new truck & wearing his hat. Thank you! Thank You! YOU made his day!”
King’s act of kindness inspired other truck drivers to do something special for Bubba, as well. Retired trucker Jeremy Wallenkamp caught wind of the story and asked Peggy if he could host an event for the teen’s 16th birthday.
“I asked his mother if we could throw a small birthday party for him,” Wallenkamp told CBS News. “I was hoping to get five to 10 trucks and cook a couple packs of brats.”
When Wallenkamp made a Facebook announcing the party (which he named 18 Wheels for Bubba), the community’s response stunned him.
“After the first post, I had five to 10 trucks in a minute,” he explained.
“A day later, we had 100 trucks. I never expected this.”
Roughly three hundred trucks and more than a thousand people showed up to surprise Bubba on his 16th birthday.
The event was held at Shilberg Park in Milton— and they had planned the entire thing without Bubba ever knowing what was going on. But as you can imagine, his jaw completely dropped when he saw the truckers’ amazing surprise.
See his reaction below!
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