Missouri boy gets hug, snowboard from Olympian Shaun White

A Missouri boy battling leukemia got a unique gift to help remember an Olympic moment he and his family will never forget. Make A Wish Foundation confirmed on Twitter that American athlete Shaun White gave 10-year-old Ben Hughes one of his snowboards after the competition.

Hughes is from Wildwood near St. Louis and was with his family at the end of the snowboard half-pipe run in Sochi on Tuesday.

Moments after finishing a qualifying run for the event, White hopped a fence dividing the halfpipe and the crowd and gave Hughes a hug.

“I thought, ‘He’s here? What?'” he said afterward.

Hughes’ grandparents, who live near Columbia, shared the USA Today Sports photo with ABC 17 News hours later.

Hughes was diagnosed with leukemia four years ago and is in Sochi for the Winter Games thanks to Make A Wish Foundation.

Unfortunately, White did not get to the podium on Tuesday, finishing fourth in his attempt for a third-straight gold medal.