<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2ZCS2C_0viaEOv000" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ZCS2C_0viaEOv000" width="979" height="556" ><figcaption>George McIntyre</figcaption></figure><p>Mike Hoekstra has always wanted to take a hot-air balloon ride with his wife and children. This week he got to do it and saw a very special message below.</p><h2>A Dying Man's Wish</h2><p>Two years ago, Mike Hoekstra was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. His life changed forever when he got the diagnosis in February of 2022.</p><p>Since then, Mike has been told that the cancer has spread to his live and that he only has a few weeks to live. He's had to give up a job he loved, driving a bus for the Hudsonville Public School System. Hudsonville is just a few miles south of Grand Rapids on Michigan's west side.</p><p>“When I joined bus driving nine years ago, I didn't know I was going to join a family,” Hoekstra <a href="https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/message-in-a-bus-stop-dying-man-sees-co-workers-heartfelt-statement-from-above">tells Fox-17.</a></p><p>One of Mike's bucket list items has been to take a hot-air balloon ride with his wife and four children.</p><h2>A Message of Love</h2><p>Hoekstra got to take that hot-air balloon ride, but what he saw from the air was truly astounding.</p><p>Hudsonville bus driver Teresa Rens helped organize the surprise that awaited Mike when he went on that coveted balloon ride.</p><p>“A couple of the drivers got together and decided it would be cool if we put a message out there for him to see once he was up in the air,” Rens explained.</p><p>Several Hudsonville bus drivers parked their buses in an empty field and spelled out the words "We love you," which Hoekstra and his family saw as they floated above the field.</p><p>“I was really, really struck by that," Hoekstra said. “No matter what, God is good. No matter what happens, He is with me.”</p><p>Watch the video below from Fox 17.</p><h2>The Defunct Tony's Amusement Park, Bay City</h2><h2>25 Defunct Bars in Genesee County and What They Are Now</h2><p>Relive your youth and check out this list of 25 different bars and restaurants from Genesee County that are no longer in business and what they could possibly be now.</p><h2>40+ DEFUNCT LANSING RESTAURANTS</h2></div></body>

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Michigan Bus Drivers Display Message of Love for Terminally Ill Coworker

Mike Hoekstra has always wanted to take a hot-air balloon ride with his wife and children. This week he got to do it and saw a very special message below. Two years ago, Mike Hoekstra was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. His life changed forever when he got the diagnosis in February of 2022.