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In October, 6-year-old Grant Roberts and his family met President Bush, a wish granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation a year after doctors diagnosed Grant with leukemia. Roberts’ family is Baton Rouge through and through—his aunt is Christine Bannister, owner of Christina’s Restaurant—but he spent his first three years in Texas and is one diehard little Texan. If there are two things he dearly loves, it’s President Bush and the Texas Longhorns, so his wish came as no surprise to his mother, Dixie Roberts.

The Roberts family was flown to Manassas, Va., and driven by limo to the nation’s capital. Secret Service agents gave the family a private tour of the White House, the kind usually reserved for foreign dignitaries and close, personal friends.

Meeting the president was the highlight though, a moment Dixie Roberts won’t soon forget.

“At exactly 2:20, like we were told, he walks in the door and says, ‘Hey everybody, how y’all doin’?’ Then he hugged and kissed every one of us, shaking our hands and speaking to each one of us individually as he went down the line. He even brought tears to my sister’s eyes (Christine) when he wished her a happy birthday, which we didn’t let on about. He had gifts for each one of us and cracked jokes and was so embracing and humble, saying how important this cause (Make-A-Wish) was to his family. Before he had to leave he bent down to Grant’s level and said, ‘Grant, you are going to kick this, and son, and I will be personally praying for you.’”

—SARAH YOUNG