In December of 2004, leukemia kept Chris Vetter away from his motorcycle, but the leukemia couldn't take his passion for motorcycles away from him.

One day he would like to own a Harley-Davidson, but until then his 1982 Yamaha 750 will have to do.

Last Sunday it didn't matter to Vetter, of Beulah, if he had a Harley or his Yamaha when he rode with 869 other motorcyclists during the fifth annual "The Cruise" fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, Minn. After each person paid $15 to ride and after all the other donations came flooding in, $71,000 was raised for the McDonald House during the one-day event.

It was a great day for Vetter to be among people who cared about motorcycles and the McDonald House as much as he did. The fundraiser lasted four hours and the riders covered 160 miles. For Vetter, being on his bike is a time to relax and enjoy some good company. His younger brother Kyle Vetter, 17, and his uncle Tim Masturd joined him on the ride.

Riding motorcycle is a major part of the 19-year-old's life, but that changed after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Instead of tinkering with the bike's carburetor, his time was consumed with radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

Last November after just starting wrestling practice, Vetter was feeling tired all the time and had chest pains.

"He just wasn't keeping up," said his father, David Vetter.

He went to the doctor in Beulah, to see if it was pneumonia. The doctor had a different idea and sent Vetter to Bismarck the next day to see an oncologist. By Thanksgiving doctors were hinting that he had leukemia. On Dec. 14, the final blood test results came back positive.

Immediately after the diagnosis, Vetter and his mother, Kim Vetter, were renting an apartment in Rochester Minn., while he received his numerous cancer treatments.

Shortly afterward they moved into the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester. The House has 42 rooms, a computer room and playroom. For the next three and a half months, the McDonald House became a home after long days in the hospital. It was a place for them to connect with people from all walks of life that were united under one roof because of some ugly disease.

"The greatest part about living in (the McDonald House) was the support," Vetter said. His mother was able to talk with other parents and Vetter was able to talk to other leukemia patients.

Vetter and his mom moved back to Beulah by mid-March. He had missed a lot of school, but was able to graduate with his classmates. One thing he wasn't able to do during his senior year was wrestle.

"Missing the whole senior year of wrestling was harder then having leukemia," Vetter said.

To show their support, the wrestling team shaved their heads to mimic Vetter's bald one. Now he jokingly pulls on his soft brown locks that he hasn't cut since Dec. 28.

Vetter's spirits are high on good days, and the thought of only having one more chemotherapy treatment puts a smile on his face. For the next year and a half he will only have to take chemotherapy pills. "Maintenance pills" he calls them - for the cancer now in remission.

As summer winds down, Vetter has pushed his motorcycle to the side and his hopes of getting a Harley-Davidson. First he has to fix the transmission in his college car. In August, he'll be moving to Grand Forks and attending Northland Community and Technical College.

Vetter is going to study fire science to become a firefighter. He jokingly said he wants to be a hero and save people from burning buildings and kittens from tall trees. But in the eyes of his friends and family, Vetter already is a hero.

(Reach reporter Kayla Cogdill at 250-8251 or kaylacogdill@bismarcktribune.net.)