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A Dream Visit To Albuquerque For Texas Boy

A 9-year-old Texas boy's wish to see Albuquerque before he goes blind has come true in a way he couldn't have imagined.

Ben Pierce got to see the city and its blue skies from inside a hot air balloon Saturday.

Ben, who lives in Dallas, was born four months premature.

His mother, Heidi Pierce, says the birth and scar tissue from subsequent surgeries has led to him gradually losing his eyesight.

The boy's parents had him start a "bucket list" of places he would like to see.

Ben says Albuquerque made the list because he likes the song of the same name performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Other destinations on the boy's wish list include the Grand Canyon, Washington, D.C. and the Redwood Forest.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.