Malik Ellis, 18, has always loved trains. His parents say he sleeps, eats and dreams of operating them one day.
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On Monday, that is exactly what he did and the LIRR treated the Islip High School student like a VIP -- he got to ride the rails, meet personnel and even took the reigns of a LIRR train.
"I got to do what I really wanted to do since I was 2 years old, it's amazing," Ellis said. "It was like a nice start to my dream job."
The LIRR learned about his love of trains and his need for a transplant through a video posted on YouTube.
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Ellis was born with Prune-Belly syndrome and his parents were told he wouldn't live past 3 months. He's now 18, thanks in part to his sister who gave him his first kidney.
Now, despite his need for a new kidney, he and his family are simply grateful to the LIRR for the great distraction for a day.
"We have hope and faith in God that something will work out soon and he can live a life and work for the Long Island Rail Road," his mother Nicole Paul said.
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