A cowboy at heart

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A cowboy at heart

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10-year-old Lane -McLain has had many issues to deal with in his young

life, but stands tall when it comes to anything related to the rodeo.

May 7, 2011

Story by Kirk , Marshall Independent

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A cowboy's life is never easy. Ten-year-old Lane -McLain can attest to

that.

Named after the late, great bull rider Lane Frost - whose unfortunate death

was made famous by the movie " 8 Seconds " - Lane -McLain has loved the

rodeo scene for as long as he can remember.

" I like the bull riding and the horse broncs, " Lane said. " I like it when

the rider gets bucked off. "

Lane lives with his mom, Sherry , in , S.D., where rodeos are part

of the town's history. She admits she admired bull riding legend Lane Frost.

" I think I had him named for 10 years before I had him, " said about

her son. " He was born a month early and his birth weight was low, but I

brought him home within 24 hours. It seemed fitting. He was a such a little

fighter. "

Within eight months, Lane was at his first rodeo, in Clear Lake, S.D.

" Lane has been around rodeos and horses all of his life, " said , who

grew up in Marshall, where her dad (Eddie ) still lives. " We go to

rodeos all summer long and watch rodeos on television. He loves them. "

While Lane's passion has been easy to cultivate, the rest of the young

cowboy's life has been much more complex. Lane suffers from a number of

disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and pervasive developmental disorder -

not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), which is a form of autism. He has also

been diagnosed with severe separation anxiety, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

(JRA), Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and phenylketonuria (PKU).

" Because of the PKU, Lane's body cannot break down protein, so he's on a

metabolic diet, " said. " We have to keep a diet diary for him. The EDS

attacks his ligaments and joints, making them super loose. It's a rare

thing. He also has mild to moderate cognitive impairment. "

Lane's doctors are at the Shriner's Hospital in Minneapolis and the Sanford

Children's Hospital and Clinic in Sioux Falls, S.D. While traveling for

doctor's visits can sometimes be a burden for the family, so can the

educational system.

The family encountered problems with one local school district where Lane

was bullied, his mom said. Frustrated, decided to homeschool her son.

" I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I can teach him, " she said.

" He's happier not going to school. "

But admitted that Lane missed having kids around to play with, though

he has lots of pets. In addition to three dogs, two parrots, three red-eared

slider turtles, three horses, a ferret and a chinchilla, Lane also has a few

cats.

" I love the animals, " Lane said. " I've got a zoo full. "

also wanted Lane to have more friends. So she made the decision to

allow Lane to get a Facebook account and hooked him up with some rodeo

people she knew.

" The first night, he had 175 friend requests, " said. " They were mostly

Christian cowboys and cowgirls, bull riders, and clowns. He has over 500

friends now. I go through everything first to make sure it's appropriate. "

One of those friends - Collin , who founded Wings of Western Wishes -

recently made a dream come true for Lane, who really wanted to go to the

Professional Bull Riders " Last Cowboy Standing " event April 16 in Las Vegas,

Nevada.

" Collin set it up, " said. " Lane was his first recipient. The PBR

donated the tickets and a stock contractor paid for the airline. We were

three rows back from the arena floor, the best seats they had. "

After somewhat of a nerve-wracking airplane ride, Lane and his mother

arrived in Las Vegas. Lane said he liked earning his flight wings and

getting to make an announcement from the cockpit.

" I liked the airplane, except for the tram, " said Lane, who didn't care for

its wild, herky-jerky movements.

After the rodeo competition at Mandalay Bay Events Center, Lane was able to

go behind the chutes and see the bulls, clowns and cowboys, including Luke

Snyder, the winner of " Last Cowboy Standing " and Cody Lambert, a friend of

Lane Frost.

" It was cool, " Lane said.

Lane got autographs from many of the cowboys, but was disappointed that his

favorite bull rider - Ben - didn't make an appearance.

" He makes bull riding look easy, " Lane said.

Other friends have also tried to make life easier for Lane. Dumas and

RodeoRadio.net donors gave a new specially-designed trike to Lane in March.

A friend in Oregon donated a border collie to Lane. After " Indian Outlaw "

traveled from Oregon to Montana, Dale Vig brought the pup to Faith, S.D.,

where went to retrieve him. Facebook friends also paid for a hotel

room along the way.

" Lane got a fishing pole Friday, now he can put his tackle box and his puppy

in the basket and go, " she said. " He's a wonderful little dog. I cannot put

into words what the overwhelming outpouring of friends and gifts has meant

to us. Lane has changed in so many ways due to his new friends. "

Lane has numerous bull riding videos, including some depicting the real life

of Lane Frost. He also received a " Cowboy Bible " and a letter from Clyde and

Elsie Frost, the bull riding legend's parents. For his birthday, also

surprised Lane with a Nintendo Wii system and bull riding game.

While Lane may never climb atop the back of a rodeo bull, he does have other

dreams to fulfill. Not surprisingly, most of them revolve around his love of

being a true cowboy. said Lane would like to be part of the

cattle drive some day, moving cows the old-fashioned way. He also wants to

have his own stock someday.

" I help my dad (Pat McLain) load bulls and cows, " Lane said. " I want to be a

stock contractor and haul bulls around. I could easily do that. "

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