6-Year-Old Boy With Leukemia Becomes UPS Driver For A Day

2020 has been a tough year for all of us and especially children who have had to be indoors and lose out on spending time with friends playing outside.

6-year-old Mateo Toscano from Stockton, California, had no option but to stay safe at home due to his weakened immune system caused by a leukemia diagnosis in 2017.

The young boy kept in touch with the world by posting himself at the front window and watching the deliverymen and women hard every day. That made such an impact on him that when Make-A-Wish Foundation reached out to his family, Mateo chose to be a UPS driver.

“It’s really cool,” Mateo said, “Like, I just want to be a UPS driver because UPS trucks are the coolest like they say UPS on the sides and the back.”

To make the moment even more special, a mini UPS truck was unloaded off of a big one, and Mateo took a driving test and delivered packages to police, city officials and then made a delivery to his grandma and mother as Mother’s Day was coming up.

“When Mateo’s wish came true, he did more than deliver packages, he delivered hope to the entire Stockton community and beyond … and that’s the incredible power of a wish,” Jennifer Stolo, president and CEO of the Northeastern and Central California and Northern Nevada chapter of Make-A-Wish said.

“I really liked it,” Mateo said at the end of his day. “It was so cool.” He added, “I was busy as a bee.” His mother, Cynthia Toscano cheered for him for all the Mother’s Day gifts he had arranged for her and her mom.

“My mom and I were both so touched by his Mother’s Day gifts to us, and were very surprised by the pretty flowers!” she said. “The flowers were a very nice way to signal the end of a very, very dark period. Hopefully, the brighter times are here to stay.”