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Josh Kramer has never been to an NFL game. But that will change Sunday, when he will be in the stands as the Patriots attempt to make history.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The ride in the limousine was cool. The red-carpet treatment, the smiles and caring words from strangers were appreciated.

But Josh Kramer's eyes really got big when he walked onto the turf at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Friday. He turned around, imagining the New England Patriots standing on one sideline and the New York Giants on the other.

Bright lights, noise, and the electric feeling that comes just before the start of the Super Bowl. Kramer tried to imagine it all, knowing he would be part of it all come Sunday evening.

Wow. He'd have something to tell his friends and teammates when he returns to Gorham High School next week.

"I'm just amazed," said Kramer, 16. "I always wanted to see an NFL game and now my first is going to be the Super Bowl."

He's picking the Patriots, by the way, 28-14.

Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Kramer is one of 12 teenage boys invited to this year's game.

Kramer first made his wish in 2006, but too late to be considered for last year's Super Bowl.

In another example of good things coming to those who wait, his wish was granted for this game, the biggest in the history of the New England Patriots. Win, and the undefeated Patriots will have finished the season with 19 victories and the championship. No other NFL team has won all 19 games it played.

It's a dream come true for a boy who once asked his doctor if he was going to die. No, said Dr. Craig Hurlwitz of the Maine Children's Cancer Program.

He was going to fight to keep Josh alive. Josh would fight, too.

Kramer was 10 years old when he and his family learned he had leukemia.

At one point, he endured one shot a week into a thigh muscle for 30 straight weeks. It hurt.

Each time, before the needle went in, Kramer would hold his mother's arm and brace his body. Terry and Jeff Kramer don't remember their son complaining.

In October of 2004, Josh Kramer received his last treatment. In 2006, he played on Gorham High's freshman football team.

This past fall, he played mostly in junior varsity games and some with the varsity.

He's a center, one of the most difficult positions to play in football.

You need the strength to block the biggest defensive players on the other team and the intelligence to be the hub of the offensive line. And the confidence to pick yourself up after you've been knocked down.

No one wondered about the confidence part. Kramer had picked himself up every time the needle went deep into his thigh and every time he might have wondered about the rest of his life.

"You keep in touch," said Je'Rod Cherry, shaking Kramer's hand. "Remember, you've got my e-mail address."

Cherry was a defensive back for the Patriots from 2001-2004. He wasn't a starter, but he's got a few Super Bowl rings of his own.

He was one of several former and current NFL players visiting with Kramer and the others Friday at the NFL Experience, an interactive theme park set up next to the University of Phoenix Stadium.

"I got Cleo Lemon's autograph and Brady Quinn's," said Kramer. Quinn, the rookie quarterback from Notre Dame who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, was a hit with Katie Kramer, Josh's 19-year-old sister.

Josh also got an autograph from Archie Manning, Eli and Peyton's dad. "I don't think that one meant as much to Josh as it did to me," said Jeff Kramer.

Josh Kramer's father and mother never really stopped smiling. This has been a whirlwind trip, with their Make-A-Wish friends escorting the families here and there without much advance notice.

"What are we doing (Saturday?). I don't really know," said Terry Kramer. "It's been one surprise after another."

They looked at their son, now 6-foot-1, and a solid 235 pounds. They remember when he lost his hair, gained weight,...