A few years ago, she promised him a trip to Six Flags Great America, but she wasn't able to fulfill that promise until now.
James Sowell had a ball in his first trip to the amusement park and wasted no time getting on one of the roller coasters.
He had wanted to make the trip for the past few years.
"When I was six, my mom said that one day we'll come here," he said.
James made it but his mom had to stay behind.
"Because she has cancer and she's really sick," he said.
His mother, 47-year-old Toni Sowell, is in hospice care outside of Peoria. She reached out to Hospice Dreams, an organization that grants wishes to adult hospice patients.
They coordinated with Six Flags Great America to have James and his cousin come out for the day.
"Everybody at some point in their lives has something like this affect them," said Katy Enrique of Six Flags. "Whether it's a close family member or a distant relative, everyone can sympathize with the situation James is in."
Hospice Dreams has granted close to 2,000 wishes since 2008 and in 2012 alone they hope to grant 125 wishes.
"It's such an awesome feeling," said Hospice Dreams' Christy Cooper. "This is truly a special thing we get to share with a mother and her son."
James' trip is being recorded so his mother can see him pose with Superman, play some games and win some prizes, and enjoy the chance to be carefree for the day.
And to make his mother's dream come true.
