Parsippany Teen Gets to Ride into the Sunset

The Make-A-Wish Foundation and a group of Harley Davidson bikers stood on the Fuca family of Parsippany's front lawn Saturday to celebrate a special gift for 16-year-old Nicolas Fuca Jr.: a custom-built sidecar for his dad’s bike.

Friends, family, representatives from the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Mayor James Barberio witnessed the joyful event, which was kicked off by a ribbon cutting.

“Nick wants more than anything to be with his dad,” Nicolas Jr.’s grandmother, Marilyn Slackman, said.

Beaming, in the front and center of his front yard, before getting into the new ride, the teenager looked thrilled.

After the ribbon cutting, engines revved and Nicolas Jr.’s parents, Nicholas Sr. and Jacqui, climbed onto their Harley as young Nick slid into his new wheels. Leading a pack of motorcyclists, the group did a quick ride around the neighborhood to the delight of onlookers.

The teen was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at age 4 and has been wheelchair-bound since age 9. Jacqui Fuca said they saw an accessible motorcycle at an Abilities Expo. As Nicolas Jr. had already been deemed eligible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit that grants wishes to seriously ill children, the family appealed to the organization.

The foundation made Nicolas Jr.'s wish come true with the help of Claude Stanley Motorsports from Middleburg, Pa.

“The smile on Nick’s face is worth a million dollars," said businessman Stanley. "I can’t say enough about Make-A-Wish for making this happen.”

Painted a military green to match his father’s Harley and emblazoned with the words “The Only Limitations Are The Ones You Create," the sidecar was custom-built to fit Nicolas Jr.’s wheelchair.

Classmate and friend Zakk Harrison, enthused, “It’s really cool that he can go riding with his dad whenever he wants now!”