Nik Geotz, son of Break Time District Manager Cathy Geotz, has always been fascinated by U.S. presidents and government. When he was three, Nik was was more interested in viewing Ronald Reagan speeches on YouTube than watching cartoons.
Nik’s love for politics has endured throughout the years and the 16-year-old was able to realize his dream of visiting the White House and meeting the President of the United States of America this year thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Nik was diagnosed with ependymoma, a rare form of brain and spinal cancer, when he was six. Nik’s doctors were able to remove his brain tumors and he was cancer-free for seven years. However, his cancer returned in December 2017, when six tumors were found on his brain and two more were detected on his spine.
Nik was initially reluctant to submit a wish to the foundation, but Cathy encouraged him to ask for something that matched his passion—politics. With this idea in mind, Nik decided he would love to visit Washington D.C.
When the Geotz’s met with their Make-A-Wish donors last August, Nik expressed his desire to travel to the nation’s capital. During that conversation, Nik learned that one of the donors knew the Trump family from time spent as a contestant on season four of The Apprentice. Nik then asked if it would be possible to meet President Trump during his visit and the donors said they would ask if he could be placed on the presidential meet-and-greet list.
On March 15, Nik and his family traveled to Washington, D.C. to make his wish come true. On that day, they received a private tour of the White House, including access to the Oval Office and the West Wing. During his tour, Nik was given the opportunity to sit down with President Trump for a brief conversation.
“The president said to Nik, ‘Sit here with me where the kings and queens sit,’” Cathy says. “We were so impressed with how genuine the president was. He truly wanted to learn about Nik and his story.”
Besides their White House excursion, the Geotz family visited other iconic landmarks during their four-day trip, including Mount Vernon and the Supreme Court.
Nik is currently preparing to begin his sophomore year at Smith Cotton High School in Sedalia, Mo. While his tumors are not growing, the Geotz’s are in wait-and-see-mode. When that changes, the Geotz’s will talk with Nik’s doctors about treatment options. Until then, they are enjoying their time together.