Trip of a lifetime: Valley wish kid heading to Super Bowl

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - Eleven-year-old Liam Kelly arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport like a star and started his wish with a limo ride.

A little shy and maybe stunned by the excitement, Liam and his family flew to Atlanta for the Super Bowl.

"He loves football, he loves sports, he has been waiting for this dream to come true and Make-A-Wish has been so amazing," said Gina Kelly, Liam's mom.

His mom, who nicknamed Liam "Lucky," says he has a genetic heart condition. He made his wish back in 2016, but was waiting for just the right moment.

"With Super Bowl wishes, sometimes kids want to wait for a specific team, sometimes they want to wait for a specific year," said Hollie Costello of Make-A-Wish. "Liam has been going through some health issues, so we had to put things off a little bit."

Liam's life-changing illness means he won't ever be able to play tackle football, but attending the Super Bowl is a pretty close second.

"Not only does he know what's going to happen, he's going to have some things that are just unexpected," Costello said. "Hopefully make the experience that much more special."

Liam is a Kansas City Chiefs fan but says he's rooting for the LA Rams in the big game -- but he really knows he's the real winner in this game.

"Yeah, it's really exciting," he said.

Liam says he's picking Rams to beat the Patriots, 27-20.