Mama, it’s okay to let your babies grow up to be this kind of cowboy.
Tye Sturgeon may not be standing in the middle of the street at high noon with an itchy trigger finger, but he is on a mission just as serious – to raise awareness and funds for an organization called Western Wishes.
Western Wishes is a wish granting foundation for non-terminal individuals who are faced with adversity. Sturgeon has made it his mission to journey across the 48 states in order to tell people about Western Wishes.
Sturgeon said the most rewarding part of his journey has been seeing the smile on the kids faces.
“The kids who look up to me makes the whole ride worth it,” Sturgeon said. “They are who I’m doing this for.”
One Wagoner resident did more than just look up to Sturgeon – he rode part of the journey with him.
Kaleb Dorr, 7, has been the poster kid for Western Wishes for the past several years, doing rodeos in Oklahoma and even national finals in Nevada.
Kaleb’s mom, Kim Dorr, said she learned about the organization while at a team roping event in Oklahoma City. She called to see what she could do to help and ended up telling them about Kaleb.
Jessica Urban, managing director for WW called one day to see if Kaleb would be available to ride with Sturgeon on part of his route through Oklahoma.
Kim said they met Sturgeon just north of Drumright. Kaleb rode four miles to the stopping point where Sturgeon was lodging for the day.
“It was an honor for us to be asked to ride with him,” Dorr said. “He and Kaleb got to be good buddies! They talked while riding and had a good time.”
Kaleb said he was nervous about riding at first, but Sturgeon had such a good horse (named Edward) and that put him at ease.
“Kaleb was fun to ride with,” Sturgeon said. “It was just a blessing for me to be able to spend that time with him.
Sturgeon said the most challenging thing he has faced has been the weather.
“When it’s raining on you for three to four days in a row it’s rough,” Sturgeon said. “I got hammered during all the flooding rain. In this situation you are all alone dealing with the elements.”
Sturgeon said at first he couldn’t find any place to stay in Oklahoma and was camping out every night.
“Here recently, Oklahoma has really started to take care of me and I’ve had places to stay almost every single night,” Sturgeon said.
Sturgeon said he has traveled over 1,800 miles. His journey will take him at least 3.5 more years, but it is a sacrifice he will gladly make.
“My only motivation is to give the kids someone to look up to,” Sturgeon said. “I can do that by traveling the world and being that positive role model that I think the world needs.”
Follow Sturgeon’s journey across the U.S. by visiting his Facebook page and the Western Wishes Facebook page or checking out their website at westernwishes.org.
