Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson pays special tribute to Minnesota boy
The Rock’s viral video has Twin Cities roots
If you’ve seen the viral video of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson paying tribute to his little friend Kane – it turns out Kane’s family lives here in the Twin Cities. FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim sat down with Kane’s parents and twin brother who tell us they aren’t surprised he’s continuing to inspire.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - You might have seen the viral video of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson paying tribute to his young fan from Minnesota – Kane Bolan.
Kane’s family tells FOX 9 they are not surprised that Kane is continuing to inspire us all.
Maui’s biggest fan
The backstory:
Kane Bolan’s parents and twin brother, Dennis, said the 7-year-old had a larger-than-life personality.
Kane loved being on the water and adventure. Which might be why his favorite movie was Moana. His hero was Maui, of course.
"The nurses would know to always put it on for him. We’d watch it with him. It got to be a lot, we definitely had it memorized," said Charlie Bolan, Kane’s dad.
If you had met Kane, what you would not have known because of his bright personality is that he has had more medical procedures than his parents could count, including a heart transplant. He was a fighter that had overcome the odds every step of the way.
"Two very rare, yet unrelated conditions called Heterotaxy syndrome and vacterl association. No genetic connection whatsoever, they don’t really know what causes either one," said Christine Bolan, Kane’s mom.
Fighting spirit lives on
Timeline:
Kane’s health journey took a turn for the worse at the end of last year.
Then in March, thanks to Make-A-Wish, he met his hero.
"Oh buddy, Kane, I know you can hear me, this is The Rock. I’m also known as Maui from Moana," said Johnson. "Can you give a big smile, yeah your famous smile. Aw, love it!"
Kane tragically passed away just a week after making that very special connection. But, of course, in true Kane fashion, his story did not end there.
"His quotes were ‘you gotta do what you gotta do,’ and we play the cards we’re dealt. And just smiling and happy," said Charlie.
Johnson was so inspired by Kane’s strength, courage, and fearlessness that he posted a tribute video to his buddy Kane. It has since gone viral.
"I always said he was going to change the world," said Christine.
For anyone who had the chance to meet Kane or has now heard the story about a boy whose special power was positivity through it all, he certainly has.
What they're saying:
Kane’s family also recognizes his medical team at the Mayo Clinic that also fought for little Kane every step of the way.
What you can do:
A GoFundMe is raising money for funeral plans. You can donate it here.