6-Year-Old Battling Leukemia Gets Rocketman Wish Granted

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — When you think of Cape Canaveral, one thing typically comes to mind: Kennedy Space Center. But for one local boy, it means a dream realized.

If suiting up like your idols doesn't give you a taste of space, finding out you get to visit NASA's home base is truly out of this world.

On Wednesday, six-year-old Ryan LaSalle was granted his wish of going to the Kennedy Space Center. The big reveal happened on a phone call with NASA.

"I want to be a person who makes rockets," Ryan said. "I want to design rockets."

His love for science and all things space started when he was three, after a leukemia diagnosis.

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"He had used the voice remote and figured out how to use it to find space shows so he was watching Apollo 13. And I was like -- 'You're three!'" said his mother, Kari LaSalle.

After countless doctor visits with endless poking and prodding and chemotherapy, Ryan has remained resilient.

"He's been through so much and he's one of the strongest people I've ever met," said his father, Matthew LaSalle.

When the Make A Wish foundation heard Ryan's story, the stars aligned to make him a rocketman for the day. As part of his wish, Ryan visited local radio station 106.5 to answer space-related questions. He also got some one-on-one time with the experts at the Powerhouse Space Center.

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The hope is that this wish launches this pint-sized star into a healthier orbit.

"He might beat the odds and go to space someday," Kari LaSalle said.

Ryan is set to finish his treatments in September.