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Trip of a Lifetime: Dripping Springs Sophomore Going to Green Bay

Updated: Thursday, October 25 2012, 08:38 PM CDT
Wray Buerschinger has only been on this planet for 16 years, but he's spent all of them rooting for the Green Bay Packers.

"My grandpa was born in Green Bay," said Buerschinger. "He knew Curly Lambeau, so I pretty much inherited it."

Being a cheesehead is in his genes. And next weekend, the Dripping Springs sophomore will make his first visit to Green Bay's historic Lambeau Field.

"I'm sure everybody has probably gotten sick of me talking about it," said Wray.

But what will make the trip even more special is what else was in his body, aside from that genetic Packers fandom.

"They told me two days before my birthday that I had cancer," Buerschinger said.

The same week that he played in a high school football game, Buerschinger underwent surgery for intense stomach pain. That's when doctors found the tumors. Wray had Burkitt's Lymphoma. He was just a freshman in high school.

"One day you've got a child that's thriving and playing football and just being a kid," said Tom Buerschinger, Wray's father. "And then you go on this crazy journey. It's sort of like being a part of a bad movie of the week."

The next scene included six months of intense chemotherapy. The treatment caused Wray to lose nearly 20 pounds. But he still had his Packers.

"They had a great season," said Wray. "I spent a lot of time watching the games."

Buerschinger is now cancer free. And to celebrate, he and his family are traveling to Green Bay next week to not only attend a game, but meet the players too. And it's all thanks to Barton Creek Country Club and its partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"We just feel like in a sense that we won the lottery," said Tom.

Barton Creek raised $20,000 to help grant Wray, and three other children fighting serious diseases, a wish they'll never forget.

"The members at Barton Creek Country Club along with the community wanted to continue to give back," said James Walsh, Vice President and General Manger of Barton Creek. " And what better way than to help send children like Wray on the trips of the lifetime."

Wray already defeated cancer. And thanks to generous central Texans and Barton Creek Country Club, next weekend's trip is icing on the cake.Trip of a Lifetime: Dripping Springs Sophomore Going to Green Bay