8-year-old cancer patient, who loves trains, has wish granted at Grand Central Terminal
NEW YORK -- Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to deserving children in difficult times. They help bring joy and hope back into the lives of families affected by serious medical conditions.
As CBS2's Steve Overmyer reported, one boy's dream came true Thursday at Grand Central Terminal.
Who didn't grow up loving trains? It's an obsession for some.
"When I was little and I saw my very first train going across the railroad tracks, I wanted trains," 8-year-old Alex Young said.
Alex has always been captivated by trains. Thursday, he got a once in a lifetime experience.
"He loves trains so much that he lives and breathes trains, all the time. If we're out driving in the car and he sees a train, stop and let's look at them. Oh yeah, this is perfect for him," said Alex's grandmother Kathleen Young.
A few years ago, doctors found tumors on Alex's spine. Since then, he's spent much of his life in hospitals for surgeries or chemotherapy treatments.
On Thursday, those worries were left behind.
"The coolest part about trains, they're all different designs!" Alex said.
Make-A-Wish granted Alex his dream. With the MTA's help, Alex toured Grand Central Terminal in places where the general public isn't allowed. Did you know there were secret walkways in the giant windows?
"I though the glass was gonna crack and then break," Alex said.
He met the MTA Police and the FDNY, and took a moment to gift the station manager a doughnut. Then, of course, what 8-year-old could resist breakdancing on the marble floor?
Alex found out trains, even when sitting still, can be loud. He was given a perspective rarely seen.
"Right now we are under a road. The road is up above us, so we are in the subway!" Alex said.
But the biggest joy was being in the engine of a working locomotive and starting it up.
"Actually I felt like a real engineer," Alex said. "If you're in that seat, you're definitely gonna feel like a real engineer driving a real train."