A stingray hovered overhead as Brett Rogers’ family wheeled him under a glass tunnel at the Downtown Aquarium in Denver.

Most of the family members stood in awe, stretching their necks to get a view of the roaming sea creature, but 5-year-old Lyndsey couldn’t contain her excitement.

“What an amazing day,” she exclaimed before darting to the next tank.

Besides the display of exotic fish, majestic coral and shimmering mermaids, this day in June was particularly magical, as it may be the last trip that Rogers, his wife Teal and their four children, ages 5 to 18, enjoy together.

Brett Rogers, 38, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1997 and has since endured chemotherapy, dialysis and years of sacrificing a normal life for uncertainty. His cancer has reoccurred four times, repeatedly thrusting the family through turbulence.

The aquarium visit, including a stay at Hotel Monaco and with expenses paid, was a gift from the Dream Foundation, a national nonprofit that grants last wishes to adults with less than a year to live.

The burden of medical bills means that the Rogers family cannot afford many extra expenses, and consequently, the trip would have been out of the question if not for the donation. In fact, the family took its first vacation last July, and was due for a break from the sterility of medical care.

Brett Rogers applied to the Dream Foundation with the help of Odyssey Hospice, from which he receives home care. Having few moments to be completely alone with his wife and children, his wish was to spend time with his family.

And time is what the family got that day, as it spent an hour and a half strolling through the aquarium, pausing to take pictures  and positioning Brett Rogers’ wheelchair alongside each tank.

It was crowded for a weekday, but impatient herds of summer camp groups and tourists didn’t seem to bother them. They lingered at each exhibit as if they were alone, pointing out turtles and “fish you could ride.”

Brett Rogers, who looked content as he grazed a finger across the glass in attempt to get a Colorado River Basin to follow, said the trip was an opportunity to secure another memory.

“I’m not throwing in the towel yet,” he said. “It’s the simpler moments that we enjoy together … it means everything because as a dad, what your life ought to be focused on is your children.”

The Dream Foundation has helped others locally, such as former Odyssey Hospice patient Camille Rivera.

Accustomed to giving back to others, Rivera’s last wish was to see her unfinished garden completed.

“She wanted a place of beauty, for peace,” her sister Cindy Moreland said.

In May, volunteers transformed Rivera’s yard from a pile of rubble into a flourishing garden within hours. Rivera was included in the planning process, which helped divert her attention away from cancer.

She died shortly after at age 40, but the garden has everlasting meaning.

“The last picture of our family is of her looking at the garden. I don’t think anybody will forget that,” Moreland said.

Odyssey Hospice has worked to turn patients’ visions into reality during their last stretch of life.

Bonnie Woolsey’s passion was creating art, yet in her 80s she had never had her paintings exhibited. A year before she lost her fight with breast cancer, Odyssey Hospice helped showcase Woolsey’s artwork in 2005 for the first time.

“She just wanted to be known,” her daughter Bonnie Olson said, reflecting on a photo taken of her mother at the art exhibit. “She was just astounded.”

Rebekah Shardy, manager of volunteers at Odyssey, said hospice care covers the medical details so patients can focus on living fully. Their philosophy is that life never ceases having worth.

“If there’s something in the back of your mind, do it. Don’t die with your music in you,” Shardy said.

At the aquarium, the Rogerses soaked up the splendor of translucent jellyfish and nautical themed exhibits.

Though they are unsure if they will have the next day together, Brett Rogers is living his days to the fullest, being mindful not to take small moments for granted.

With the help of community members and hospice, he was able to see his son graduate from eighth grade and race in a motocross competition The Rogerses have learned that when it comes to wanting something, it never hurts to ask for the impossible.

Asking for help made it possible for them to have a day focused on family instead of cancer ­— a dream come true.

The Dream Foundation made it possible for Brett Rogers to take his wife and four children to the Denver Aquarium for his wish. Brett (center) and his children Kyle, 14; Jay 18; Amber, 16; and Lyndsey, 5, look at one of the exhibits at the aquarium on Thursday. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT/The Gazette

The Dream Foundation made it possible for Brett Rogers to take his wife and four children to the Denver Aquarium for his wish. Brett (center) and his children, Lyndsey, 5; Amber, 16, and Kyle, 14 (left to right) look at one of the exhibits at the aquari Photo by JERILEE BENNETT/The Gazette

Before she died, artist Bonnie Woolsey Benschneider, had a dream fulfilled by Odyssey Hospice to have a gallery showing of her artwork at the hospice. Bonnie’s daughter, Bonnie Olson (left), remembers how much it meant to her mother to see all her artwor Photo by JERILEE BENNETT/The Gazette