FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — You can’t tell by his constant smile, but Gabriel Garcia’s day-to-day is anything but normal.

“He still lives every day like nothing is wrong with him,” says his mother, Crystal Martinez.

As a wrestler at Sunnyside High in Fresno, Garcia injured himself at practice one day.

“It just kept getting worse and worse, I started losing the movement in my arm and I finally decided to go to the doctor after a month,” he said.

A simple checkup turned into a life-changing discovery for the 16-year-old.

“They had said it might’ve been cancer, and I didn’t think anything of it,” he said.

A biopsy revealed Garcia had stage 4 osteosarcoma, an extremely rare form of bone cancer that spread to his lungs.

Cancer treatment took him away from his daily routine at school, but teachers like Katie Botello still let Garcia visit class to see his friends.

“When you’re not sick, you don’t think anybody is there to support you,” he said. “But when you get sick, it’s like, ‘Oh, I have a lot of people.'”

Nobody knows that situation better than his mom, Crystal.

Six years ago, Martinez battled and beat her own bout with cervical cancer.

“I’d rather go through it again myself,” she said.

Just like her son, she puts on a smile, but the harsh reality always comes back.

“Extremely difficult,” she said. “It gets really dark. There’s a lot of times I sit out in my car and cry.”

On one particular Friday, Garcia thinks we’re visiting campus to talk about his journey.

What he doesn’t know is there’s a surprise in store.

Garcia thinks he’s participating in a Super Bowl trivia lunch rally with his friends.

So far, he’s perfect on the questions, but he never would’ve guessed the final answer.

Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Garcia has been granted tickets to Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.

In partnership with the NFL, Garcia is 1 of just 19 kids headed to the Big Easy for a once-in-a-lifetime five-day experience.

“I thought they were lying to me,” he said. “Made my year. The best thing that could ever happen. I’m just happy, lost for words. I’m just excited.”

As the excitement settles, it’s back to treatment just days later.

“It’s easier than chemo, and it’s just one step to get closer,” Garcia said.

With his wish granted, another round of radiation awaits Garcia.

“Your skin gets burned and all kinds of stuff,” he said.

The pain marks a milestone in his nearly nine-month fight.

“Super excited to get to ring the bell,” he said.

It’s a sound signifying the final round of radiation, a sound giving a mother hope.

“A lot of times, he gives me strength,” Crystal said.

For Garcia, the battle starts and ends with a smile.

“You don’t want anyone to see you sad,” he said. “Better to make it look easy than hard.”

A hard lesson he’s taking to the Big Easy to see the Chiefs and Eagles play for the Lombardi Trophy.

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