While the rest of us sit at home watching the Super Bowl on our TVs this Sunday, one 12-year-old from Blue Earth will be smiling from the stands.

Sully McGuire, 12, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in December 2012. In February 2013, Sully started treatment and had part of his leg amputated. He was then fitted with a prosthetic that fall. Sully was also diagnosed with with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, with is a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome that means that he is predisposed for getting cancer and has a long family history of cancer.

Having traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for a regular check-up on Jan. 5, the McGuire family was given some good news, that there was no spreading of the osteosarcoma. Then they got more good news.

“So we were just happy with that. As the doctor was finishing his appointment, asked about football and if she had a ticket for the Super Bowl for him, what would he think,” said Melissa, Sully’s mother. “He was pretty shocked and stunned to say the least.”

“I thought like, ‘Whoa, is this really, really real?'” Sully added.

The Super Bowl tickets were awarded through Hyundai Hope on Wheels, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer. As part of the program, the organization donated a pair of Super Bowl tickets to a pediatric patient at the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center.

With the idea that “discovery is the enemy of pediatric cancer,” Hyundai Hope on Wheels awards grants to research centers that are actively investigating treatments and cures, according to the organization’s website. Donations are made by Hyundai and its U.S. dealers every time a Hyundai vehicle is purchased.

In 2017, the organization presented more than $15 million in research grants across the United States, with $130 million being awarded since the organization started.

“We’re very thankful that Hyundai Hope on Wheels is funding research at Mayo Clinic,” said Melissa.

Melissa will be attending the Super Bowl in Minneapolis with her son. Never being able to attend a professional football game before, Sully and Melissa agreed that the most exciting part will just being able take in the full spectacle of the Super Bowl. Melissa said that it’s an experience that can’t be replicated.

“I’m like him, I can’t wait to just see the experience,” said Melissa.

Melissa said that while they’re excited about receiving the Super Bowl tickets, they are also excited to “pay it forward” by creating more awareness about pediatric cancer.

“It’s hard, it’s hard on families,” said Melissa. “But Hyundai Hope on Wheels is doing a great thing, so we’re excited about the opportunity and that he’s been chosen with that opportunity and how we can help.”