All kids have wishes.
Some kids want to be Superman, others princesses.
But Ethan Dean, a 6-year-old with an incurable illness, just wants to suit up and be a garbage man for a day.
The Sacramento, California, boy doesn’t know it yet, but today he gets his wish.
Thanks to the Make-A-Wish foundation, Ethan will get to run his very own garbage route.
“Well, it’s an unusual wish,” Michelle Flynn of the Northern California and Northern Nevada chapter of Make-A-Wish told CNN affiliate KOVR. “We reach into their imagination and we make it a reality.”
Ethan’s favorite part of the day is watching the garbage truck make its rounds, his parents told the station.
He was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was just 8 weeks old. It’s a genetic illness that affects the lungs and for which there’s no cure.
The little boy’s future is uncertain — but not today.
The #EthanCleansUp route will span several blocks — beginning at the Sacramento Bee and ending at the state capitol for an official news conference.
His host will be 35-year waste veteran Sam Turman — who will no doubt make one of his most special pickups of all time today.
“I’m going to pick up a kid who just loves garbage trucks,” he said, “He’s going to go for a ride with me.”
“I’m gonna try not to cry,” Turman said.
Us too.