Huntsville, AL- Trevor Wachsman is a Howard Stern super-fan.
That is easy to tell the moment you walk into his apartment. His walls are covered with Howard Stern magazine covers, and strategically placed speakers that are always tuned to Howard 100 - Stern's 24 hour channel on satellite radio.
“It plays 24 hours in my house. It's on my computer, on my phone, in my car...it’s pretty much Stern 24/7,” Wachsman said.
Wachsman says he can remember listening to Howard years before he was actually allowed. People are often put off by the King of all Media, but Wachman says they've got it all wrong. “They like to think (Howard Stern) is this big awful scary guy and he is the complete opposite. He probably has one of the biggest hearts,” said Wachsman.
On September 13’th, being a super Stern fan truly paid off for Wachsman.
Wachsman called in to the show and became a contestant on Stern's "NewlyWeird Game", where show staffers were tested to see who knew the most about each other. Against all odds, Trevor's team won the game, and he walked away with $5,000.
“Stern has over 20-million listeners. So, it’s equivalent to basically winning the lottery," Wachsman said.
But beating the odds is nothing new to Watchman.
At age 3, he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (a rare form of childhood cancer). He was given a 3.5 % chance of survival. Wachsman survived after going through radiation treatments.
Unfortunately, doctors believe the radiation that saved his life 25-years-ago caused a tumor to form in the right side of his brain. After he had surgery to remove the tumor, Wachsman was bed ridden for 6 months. “I can tell you this much; when I was home, Howard was on and I didn’t miss a minute," laughed Wachsman.
After the tumor was removed, Wachsman lost all movement on the right side of the face. This caused pain and problems in his right eye. “That constant annoying pain going on just makes it hard to concentrate sometimes. Once it is relieved, I’ll be able to really focus in on school,” Wachsman said. Wachsman is studying to be a childhood radiation therapist.
But now that Wachsman has won the $5,000, he is able to afford eye surgery. And will not only call Howard Stern his idol, but also his hero. "If I hadn’t won this contest, he has still brought a smile to my face, every day, regardless of how good or bad the day is going, just hearing the show has brought me so much joy," said Wachsman.
Click below to watch Trevor's live interview with Haley on WAAY 31 FirstNews at 4.
