For 9-year-old Brock, the journey itself – filled with trains, landmarks, and breathtaking views – was just as thrilling as the final stop: Niagara Falls.

Brock has always been fascinated by trains. "He's obsessed with them,” shared his dad, Eric. "Model trains, train posters in his room – anything with an engine, he loves it."

Watch Now | Brock takes unforgettable trip to Niagara Falls thanks to Make-A-Wish Arizona (ABC 15)

But when doctors found a tumor behind Brock's right eye, his family suddenly found themselves navigating an uncertain and frightening road where their son had cancer.

"The range of emotions you go through after you find out something like that, it can’t be quantified with words,” said Eric. “It was rough.”

“We try as much as possible to have Brock leading a normal life, running, playing, and going to school,” shared his mom, Karen. “But the days we have to deal with going to the hospital and the treatments wear on you.”

Brock’s doctor from Phoenix Children’s made a referral, and it was just a matter of time before wish granters met with him to discover his wish.

Searching for that normalcy again, Brock found hope in planning his wish. He wanted an adventure, one where every turn, ride and moment was part of the magic.

“We were looking all across the United States for different places to do a train trip,” said Karen, Brock’s mom. “He's been talking about the monuments and landmarks in New York City he learned about in school like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty and we found this train ride from New York City to Niagara Falls where he could visit all the places that he learned about and wanted to see on his trip."

“It was really exciting,” Brock said. “It made me feel important.”

Brock and his family flew to New York City where they spent a few days exploring the city, eating famous New York slices of cheese pizza and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Together, they walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night, filled with excitement as the bright lights reflected across the water.

He also took a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, crossing another type of transportation off the list and learning some fast facts along the way.

“Every mode of transportation you can imagine, we did on this trip,” Eric said.

After taking New York City by storm, Brock and his family made their way to Penn Station where they began the grand finale of their magical journey – a nine-hour train ride to Niagara Falls.

Brock liked pressing the buttons and crossing between train cars, even though it was a little bit scary. While he did take some time to sleep on the train ride, there’s nothing like a Niagra Falls shower to wake up your senses!

“It was awesome!" said Brock, eyes wide with excitement. "The falls were huge! I literally felt like I just jumped in the pool."

Karen says one of the best parts of the trip was just enjoying the gorgeous weather and bonding as a family.

“It’s so beautiful up there,” reminisced Karen. "We’re in Arizona in the summer, so the kids are used to the heat and excited to be outside and actually play around and not be drenched in sweat.”

Looking back on the wish, Brock’s transformational journey always brings a smile to his face and his family is grateful for their experience.

“Make-A-Wish is an amazing foundation and an amazing organization,” Eric explained. “How helpful they’ve been through this whole process – it’s been a breath of fresh air. Being able to be here together and purely enjoy it, I’m very glad they’re around and do what they do.”

“This was the best trip ever!” Brock beamed. “If you imagine something in your mind, it’s gonna be 10 times better in real life. I forgot all about why I was there, I wasn’t even thinking about the tumor in my eye. I’ll have a memory of my wish forever. I will never forget this.”