MINNEAPOLIS -- A Dallas Cowboys season ticket holder is keeping a special promise he made to his best friend who happens to be a Vikings fan.
Todd "Gig" Harling has brain cancer. When his best friend, Joel Stukas learned of his situation, Stukas promised to take him to Sunday's playoff game if he held on long enough.
"Not many people can say that they've got a friend since third grade," said Harling.
Harling and Stukas have spent the past 35 years as best friends. Harling is a die-hard Vikings fan. Stukas loves the Cowboys.
Although Stukas lives in Dallas and Harling in Sioux City, they've remained close.
"In August I drove him from San Diego to Sioux City," said Stukas.
Stukas was moving his best friend back home to Sioux City, Iowa where they grew up. He thought that trip would be his last with his best friend.
"They took out a baseball-size of my brain up here and cut the whole side of this head open," said Harling.
Harling was diagnosed with brain cancer and the clock on their friendly rivalry began ticking down.
"Down to the end now, I think it's about a month or two I got left, if that. But I'm just thrilled to be with my best friend to go do this, you know? It's going to be awesome," said Stukas.
It was during that trip that Stukas made a promise to Harling.
"I said, 'Hey, if the Cowboys and Minnesota play in the playoffs I'm going take you to the game.' He laughed and said, 'Joel, I'll be dead,'" said Harling.
So Stukas drove from Dallas to Sioux City, picked up Harling and made it to Minneapolis Friday night.
Inside their hotel room they received a special message from the Vikings' front office. Game day at 10:30 a.m., Stukas and Harling will be brought down to the field to watch the pre-game warm-ups. They'll stand 10 feet away from Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre. Stukas will also get a peek at his team, the Cowboys.
For Harling and Stukas, being together during this time means much more than who wins the game.
"It started out as 9-year-old kids and we've learned a lot from each other and so when the final play is ran, we won," said Stukas.
Harling is no longer undergoing chemotherapy and is choosing to spend his last days with his wife, four children and best friend.
He said the playoff game will be one of the highlights of his life, and he feels blessed to be allowed to spend a part of his last days cheering for the Vikings.
