‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Robertson Family Makes Dying Man’s Wish Come True
An Indiana man deep into a long battle with cancer was granted one of his final wishes when he got to spend the day with the crew from Duck Dynasty.
Chris Long has spent more than a decade fighting cancer. According to KNOE in Monroe, La., the Indiana resident made it clear: He wanted to meet Phil Robertson, patriarch of the family featured in the Duck Dynasty television series, before cancer made it impossible.
Long's family reached out to the James Bess Foundation, a Tennessee-based group that helps grant what they call "Final Dreams" to those ages 21-65 who are battling terminal illness.
The foundation shared Long's story in hopes of finding donors to help fund the trip:
Less than a week later, Long and his family were on a plane headed to Louisiana to meet the Robertson family.
Meeting the Duck Dynasty Family
Once he made it to Louisiana, Long was thrust into the life of a Duck Dynasty cast member. He told KNOE that he hung out with the Robertson family and even attended their church. They also made sure Long got a tour of the Duck Commander headquarters, where he was gifted his very own duck call.
"I mean, it's just priceless," Long admits.
Prior to the trip, Long had said Phil Robertson was who he wanted to meet the most, but several other members of the Robertson family joined in on the special day as a surprise.
Uncle Si Robertson even gave long a sermon.
"I thought I was just going to meet Phil," Long tells WEHT.
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Long is currently in hospice care. He says the surprise trip was about so much more than shaking hands with a family he saw on TV.
"I told Si I did not want to meet them just because they were famous. I wanted to meet them because of what they stand for."
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