It was the adventure of a lifetime for 10-year-old Brock Koziatek.
For nearly half his life, Brock has battled a pediatric cancer known as Optic Nerve Glioma.
Over the summer, through Make-A-Wish Arizona, Brock and his entire family got to travel to New York City and Niagara Falls.
He recently opened up to ABC15's Nick Ciletti about the magical experience and the life lessons he learned along the way.
If it's got a motor, chances are, Brock is going to fall in love with it! So when it came time to take a trip last summer — all the way across the country — involving a plane, a train, and an automobile, Brock was "all aboard!"
"There was a lot of controls!" Brock said about getting to look inside of the cockpit of the airplane his family took from Phoenix Sky Harbor to New York City.
But the Big Apple wasn't the final destination! The entire Koziatek family would be heading to Niagara Falls, all thanks to Make-A-Wish Arizona, which has been granting wishes to kids battling critical illnesses for 45 years.
"I've been sick a lot, and I always try to find the good in every situation," explained Brock.
It's something Brock has become a pro at. At just 6 years old, doctors found a tumor behind his right eye. He'd later be diagnosed with cancer.
"Sometimes, I look out the window and I close my eyes, and I imagine the landscape, but there is more stuff in it," said Brock, who likes to focus on other things and uses his imagination during his treatments.
Thankfully, his trip to Niagara Falls this summer gave him a lot to think about, and it turned out to be just what the doctor had ordered!
Brock says it was a much-needed escape.
"I forgot all about why I was there. I thought it was just a trip. I wasn't even thinking about the tumor in my eye," said Brock. "I think it taught me that if you imagine something in your mind, it's going to be ten times better in real life!"
Not only did Brock say it was the "best day of his life," it truly was a trip he says that he and his family will never forget!
Brock takes oral chemo medication to keep his tumor from growing any bigger. Doctors feel good about his prognosis, and he continues to get check-ups every three months.
Since it was founded in 1980, Make-A-Wish Arizona has helped grant more than 8,000 wishes across our area and has helped with more than 550,000 wishes across the nation.
Make-A-Wish Arizona is always looking for donations, volunteers, or corporate sponsors to help make even more dreams come true for kids in our state!
