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Courtesy Photo

Mike Hansen, right, sits proudly with son Zach next to one of their prized turkey shoots. The father-son duo each killed a turkey in April near Orlando, Fla., after going on a donated turkey shoot for three days.

Four months after being diagnosed with cancer, Mike Hansen traveled more than 2,000 miles with his son Zach for an unexpected trip.

The kind of trip he liked. A hunting trip, which has been a lifelong passion.

Mike, a 49-year-old Craig resident, spent his first 17 to 18 years in Leadville and has "been hunting pretty much all my life."

To appreciate April 20 to 22 in Saint Cloud, Fla., the Hansens must rewind the clock to Jan. 3, when Mike was first diagnosed with cancer.

"We knew it was a tumor," said 13-year-old Zach.

What they didn't know is that Mike's cancer was considered stage four, meaning, "it has spread to my lungs, lymph nodes really quickly."

The small cell cancer, called an "oat cell," is a form of lung cancer.

Wife Debbie found the Tulsa Cancer Treatment Center of Oklahoma online, and the three of them have made the trek east every three weeks for chemotherapy since January.

But, after further research, they will save time and money beginning July 2 when they continue treatment in Grand Junction.

The local coverage will allow the family to make chemotherapy a weekend affair after having to reserve a five-day block of time for Tulsa.

After being together for 17 years and married for 15, Debbie knew how much of a passion Mike and Zach had for hunting and the outdoors.

Her daily trip to a local convenience store inadvertently allowed "the boys" some bonding time on the East Coast.

She paid $20 for a raffle ticket for a shotgun from Pam Lathrop, the convenience store clerk and president of the Craig chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

"Pam talked to her mom, and it went from there," Debbie said.

Lathrop was aware of Mike's cancer and wanted to surprise him.

Enter Steve Pennington.

A member of the NWTF in Saint Cloud, Fla., he agreed to donate his time and services for Mike and Zach to pursue their hunting in the Sunshine State.

"The NWTF connected the dots," Debbie said. "They wanted them to have great memories. That to me is caring and having a good heart."

The Hansens estimate the three days of hunting, fishing and lodging provided by Pennington was valued at $1,700.

"It was a great trip. We had a blast," Mike and Zach said smiling.

Debbie commended both the NWTF and Trapper Mine for being accommodating during the dream vacation.

Mike has been a mechanic at the mine for eight years.

Using a number of different calls to attract turkeys, Mike and Zach each killed a turkey of at least 15 pounds.

"We cooked it early that day and ate it," Mike said of the bird. "It was better than any Thanksgiving I've ever had. We would cut it into chunks and then deep-fry them. Steve did everything"

Pennington took the two fishing, where the three caught and released a number of Barramundi, a freshwater fish native to Northern Australia.

"I tell Zach it's not the fish you catch, but the experience. If you catch anything, it's a bonus," Mike said.

As Mike prepares for his chemotherapy in Grand Junction, his short-term goal is to see Zach graduate from high school.

"I carry on with my daily life," Mike said. "Zach is entering the eighth-grade, and my goal is to see my son graduate."