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Father and son Lightning fans find a unique way to help a little boy with cancer

Posted at 6:32 PM, Jan 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-17 10:47:09-05

It isn't hard to notice 2-year-old Kai and his dad Bobby are Lightning fans.

"Go Bolts. Louder! Go Bolts!" they yell.

With Thunderbug at his side, they cruise the neighborhood in what they call the Zambabi.

You may be aware of the terrible 2's in a youngster, but there's nothing terrible about this one.

That's because Kai roams the streets in this mini-ice cleaning machine to raise awareness.

"My ultimate hope with the Zamboni is to draw attention to Jase's story," says Bobby Quinn.

Jase Snevely is a toddler who's been battling stage 4 Neuroblastoma cancer, all the way out in Colorado.

"I think we can be compassionate for people we don't even know," says Bobby.

Bobby served in the Air Force with Jase's uncle at Macdill. He's never met Jase, but tells us the weeks and hours he spent building Zambabi, Jase was always on his mind.

"Like any new father you think about him growing up, you think about the times you're going to have together. When you hear about a kid that's robbed of the opportunity to spend time with his father, you keep putting it into perspective, this could easily be my son," Bobby says.

The Zambabi project has been a huge hit, it didn't take long for the Tampa Bay Lightning to notice.

Kai has been to 2 games driving his Zambabi on the ice, his dad tugging along, hoping people understand what Zambabi is really about and then eventually auction it off and give every penny to little Jase.

"Its such a huge help and they don't even know me they're friends with my brother they served in the military with," says Mike Snevely, Jase's dad.

He tells us on Skype, his son's had more than 100 transfusions, 6 rounds of chemo, and fights every day.

"Ya know they just heard the story and stepped up. It's really amazing to be getting help from across the country from people who really don't have to," Mike says.

While Jase fights, Kai and his dad keep spreading the word, one Zambabi appearance at a time, trying to score a goal for Jase.

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Investigator Jarrod Holbrook is an Emmy and AP Award winning journalist. You can follow Jarrod on Twitter @jarrodholbrook and his Facebook page. You can also email Jarrod if you have a tip at: Jarrod.holbrook@wfts.com.