On Sunday, October 25, Steve Miller and the Mobile Dairy Classroom helped to fulfill the wish of a young farmer. Tristen Crouser, age 5, of Sun City had a fun-filled day provided by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Tristen has leukemia and his wish was to be a farmer for a day, so he was given the chance to take over the Bouris family ranch in Menifee. He rode a tractor, roped many nearby objects with his lariat and chased a chicken. Steve Miller of the Mobile Dairy Classroom helped Tristen feed a calf with a bottle; however, he declined the opportunity to milk a cow.

Before Tristen had learned to walk, he was fascinated by animals. Anything with four legs—dogs, donkeys, pigs—has enthralled the young boy.

Tristen has been battling leukemia for three years and, prior to his visit to the ranch, had been in the hospital for 40 of 45 days. During his entire day on the ranch, he had a huge burst of energy. He fed the animals and rode a pony. To help create a genuine farmer experience, Rose Marotta of Riverside worked with Make-A-Wish volunteers and area businesses to set up a produce stand and a feed store on the Bouris ranch. In order to stock the produce stand, Tristen collected eggs from a chicken coop and picked pumpkins from a pumpkin patch.

The Crouser family was very grateful for the hard work put in by the many volunteers. Tristen’s mother Monique said Tristen might not be a farmer when he grows up, but she is confident he will have a bright future and he’ll do something related to animals. 

Maureen Bligh, M.A., R.D.

Project Manager