Snowmobile ride far from home honors local teen’s memory

• Brian Aumann and his snowmobile

Brian Aumann had two passions — hunting and snowmobiling. The organization Wishes & More presented him with an Arctic Cat snowmobile at its annual ball in 2010. His father says the gift was more than a fine ride. It gave him hope in his battle against cancer. Submitted photo

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Tom Hackworthy of Hudson will travel to the far north of Wisconsin next week on a special mission. He will snowmobile 650 miles from Manitowish Waters to Copper Harbor, Mich., and back on the first Bryan Aumann Memorial Ride to benefit Wishes & More.

Aumann, who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 13, made the same ride with Hackworthy just a year ago on the snowmobile he received from Wishes & More in 2010. It turned out to be the ride of his lifetime. Aumann succumbed to the pain and subsequent depression of his illness last April and took his own life. He was 16.

But it will be Bryan’s love of the outdoors and snowmobiling that will be on Hackworthy’s mind along with Bryan’s family at next week’s ride. “The goal of this three-day ride is to honor Bryan’s memory by raising funds for Wishes & More....His memory will live on through this race and his legacy will be making wishes come true for kids just like him...kids who deserve to smile and enjoy their lives while they are able,” said Hackworthy.

Larry Aumann, Bryan’s father, says he, his wife Lena and daughter Casey, continue to deal with Bryan’s loss but they are pleased that he is being remembered with the ride.

“We can’t say enough about what Tom is doing and about Wishes & More. The support the organization gave Bryan is something we will never forget. They just didn’t give him a snowmobile, they gave him hope,” said Larry.

On one of Bryan’s hospital stays he was told that he could apply to the Make-A-Wish foundation to make a request. He wanted a snowmobile but found out that motorized gifts were not allowed by Make-A-Wish. He did some research with his laptop and excitedly told his parents about Wishes & More.

“He was so excited when he told us that they allowed motorized gifts. He applied to them himself. He didn’t know if his wish would be granted but they asked him to speak at their annual gala in February 2010. While he was telling his story on stage, they rolled out this beautiful green Arctic Cat. He was blown away. It was incredible to see how happy he was,” said Larry.

Larry said the gift did for Bryan what they could not. “Gifts like this do more than give a kid something he wants — it gives them hope for a better tomorrow, however many tomorrows they have. It was a $7,000 machine but it was priceless in his eyes and ours.”

Larry Aumann said the two things his son loved to do best were hunting and snowmobiling. This fall they left some of Bryan’s ashes by a tree under what was his deer stand. Hackworthy will do the same somewhere along the snowmobile trail Bryan drove last year.

Larry Aumann spoke openly about his son’s suicide shortly after it happened at Hudson High School where Bryan was a sophomore. The family wanted people to know their son’s story and the circumstances that led to his decision.

“We wanted people to have all the information about why Bryan did what he did. Parents always have fears when they hear a young person has taken their own life. They wonder if their kid is at risk. We wanted people to know that there was a whole lot more at play in Bryan’s decision. We wanted his friends and the kids at school to have the whole picture.”

Aumann believes telling Bryan’s story helped him and his family. He was asked to come back to HHS to talk with a group of Bryan’s friends and students affected by his death. “We were surprised to find out that Bryan didn’t tell them about his cancer and so getting the full story helped them understand a little more.”

Aumann said that his remarks at a school grief session last May still hold true. “We don’t agree with his choice…but we do understand it.”

Aumann said Bryan’s Memorial Ride is something that would have made his son happy and proud.

To make a pledge for Bryan’s Memorial Ride, contact Tom Hackworthy at (715) 377-2411 or at THackworthy@aol.com.

Wishes & More is a Minnesota-based charity that grants wishes, scholarships and memorials to children and their families struggling with terminal and life threatening conditions. To learn more contact www.wishesandmore.org or call (763) 502-1500.

Tags: lifestyle, health, travel, outdoors, events