Trucker Dukes and his mom, Shauna Dukes, dance to Christmas carols aboard the Holiday Express on the Sugar Cane Train.

KAANAPALI – Trucker Dukes, a Maui three-year-old fighting Neuroblastoma, and his family rode Maui’s Sugar Cane Train “Team Trucker” Holiday Express on Dec. 22.

The entire sales of tickets that day, more than $6,000, were donated to the Trucker Dukes Cancer Fund. Trucker is home for Christmas for the first time since he began his battle with Stage IV Neuroblastoma.

“The Sugar Cane Train has a long history of community outreach and involvement, and after meeting Trucker recently, we were taken with his beautiful spirit and smile and wanted to be a part of celebrating the special miracle that he is,” said Craig Hill, co-owner of the Sugar Cane Train.

“The holidays are a wonderful time to be thankful for all the blessings we have and to be grateful to live in a place where a big extended ‘ohana comes together to help one another. We have all been touched by cancer in some way, and we all stand together in the battle.”

At the age of one, Trucker was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. After two years of treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical tumor removal in his abdomen and brain, Trucker is back home and living on Maui.

Trucker Dukes sits on Santa’s lap aboard the Holiday Express on Dec. 22, 2016. PHOTOS COURTESY OF WWW.TEAMTRUCKER.ORG.

He continues to battle cancer but is no longer living in New York, where he was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He will return briefly to New York in January for scans to monitor his cancer.

“I had more fun than I can remember having,” said Joshua Dukes, Trucker’s dad. “Thanks Maui’s Holiday Express, Craig Hill (Santa’s right-hand man), Elf Mia, Santa’s elves and everyone who came out to make this such a fun night! Trucker loved it, and we can’t wait for next year!”

Team Trucker began on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamTrucker in December 2014 as a way to support the family of six by sharing Trucker’s journey. Today, there are more than 24,000 followers from all over the world. A donation page to help relieve the costs incurred from lost wages, travel, medical bills and an organic diet can be found on their Facebook page and on www.TeamTrucker.org.

Tickets for the Holiday Express are available online at SugarCaneTrain.com or by calling the office at (808) 667-6851.