A 9-year-old Las Vegas boy who says he knows more about trains than the average adult finally got to ride one across two states. Enzo, a local third-grader who has undergone multiple surgeries for a heart condition by age 5, spent two days aboard a train bound for Seattle this summer, watching Oregon's forests, the Pacific coastline, and wildlife roll past his window along the way.
The trip was arranged by Make-A-Wish Nevada, which teamed up with Centennial Toyota to grant Enzo's wish to ride a train, according to KSNV. Per Enzo's family, he knows more about trains than the average adult, a passion that made the choice of wish an easy one. Centennial Toyota is a longtime sponsor of the Nevada chapter, having previously funded wishes for other local children, including a full gaming setup for a wish kid named Ryker earlier this year, according to a Facebook post from Make-A-Wish Nevada.
Before Enzo ever boarded the train, Make-A-Wish Nevada gave him a proper send-off. The chapter organized a train-themed scavenger hunt around Las Vegas, and Jupiter Express, a local family-run outfit, rolled in with one of its trackless mini-trains to deliver the surprise reveal of his trip, per the same Facebook account. Jupiter Express has operated all-electric trackless trains at Las Vegas destinations like Boulevard Mall and Downtown Summerlin since 2016, with cars styled after 19th-century American steam locomotives.
Two Days, Hundreds of Miles of Scenery
Enzo's actual journey lasted two days, KSNV reports, matching the profile of Amtrak's Coast Starlight, the route connecting Los Angeles and Seattle that covers 1,377 miles in roughly 35 hours. The train features a Sightseer Lounge car with floor-to-ceiling windows built for taking in the Pacific coastline and Cascade Mountain scenery, according to Amtrak. During the ride, Enzo saw Oregon's forests, the ocean, and wildlife along the way, KSNV's report notes.
A Heart Condition Behind the Wish
Enzo has a heart condition and had already undergone multiple surgeries by the time he turned 5, according to the original KSNV report by Evan Schreiber. His experience mirrors a broader pattern in pediatric health: congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect in the United States, affecting nearly 1 in 100 newborns, or roughly 40,000 infants a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 25 percent of children born with a congenital heart defect require heart surgery or another invasive intervention within their first year of life just to survive, per the American Academy of Pediatrics, though the group also notes that advances in pediatric cardiology now allow more than 85 percent of affected infants to reach adulthood.
Medical teams have pointed to wishes like Enzo's as more than just a nice gesture. Fulfilling a non-medical wish can serve as an emotional turning point for children facing serious illness, helping build the emotional strength and treatment compliance needed to endure difficult medical care, according to the Las Vegas Raiders, one of several organizations that has partnered with Make-A-Wish on past grants.
A Chapter Running at Full Speed
Enzo's wish landed amid a busy stretch for Nevada's Make-A-Wish operation. The statewide chapter recently surpassed a major milestone, granting its 3,000th wish to a Nevada child, with more than 240 children actively in the wish process as of May, according to KTVN. CEO Scott Rosenzweig has said the chapter has been granting wishes since 1980. The Southern Nevada chapter alone set a record with 187 wishes granted in fiscal year 2024, averaging nearly one wish every other day.
Much of that capacity is funded through community events. Make-A-Wish Nevada's annual Walk for Wishes raised $500,000 in 2025, with Allegiant serving as presenting sponsor for wishes across the state, and the 2026 walk was scheduled at the Las Vegas Grand Prix Plaza. Families interested in the organization's work, including how wishes like Enzo's come together, can find more information at wish.org/nv.
For Enzo, the science and the fundraising numbers are beside the point. What mattered was two days on a train, the Oregon forest sliding by, the ocean coming into view, and the wildlife he spotted somewhere along a route most riders take for granted. It was, by his family's account, a fitting reward for a kid who already knew more about trains than most grown-ups do.
