BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Two weeks ago, we shared the story of Tyler Kruse, a 13-year-old cancer fighter from Williamsville who is giving back to other kids fighting cancer by raising funds to buy Roku devices for patients at Oishei Children’s Hospital.
Monday on News 4 at 7, Tyler came back to our studio — this time to be presented with a surprise gift.
Making Memories that Last Forever, a charity that gifts memories to children and families battling life-threatening illnesses, and the New Era Cap Foundation saw Tyler’s story and wanted to reward Tyler for his efforts to help others despite the challenges he’s facing. They teamed up to surprise Tyler and his family with a suite at an upcoming Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres game.
For Tyler, the gift is a full circle moment.
“Last year for my birthday I was supposed to go around this same time at the exact same game against the Patriots and that was when I got diagnosed,” Tyler said.
Danielle Gaesser, Director of New Era Cap Foundation, Joe DiLeo from Making Memories That Last Forever and Tyler and his family all joined News 4 at 7 for this week’s Sweet Buffalo Monday. (Spoiler alert: the suites weren’t the only surprise.) You can watch the full segment in the video player above.
Justin McMullen is a Western New York native who joined the News 4 team in 2023. You can read more of his work here.