Advertisement

6-Year-Old Boy with Leukemia Granted Wish of Becoming World’s Youngest UPS Driver: 'So Cool'

Courtesy of Caroline Photography/Make-A-Wish Foundation Mateo Toscano

A 6-year-old boy who is battling cancer was recently given the chance to live out his dream — and he's now the youngest UPS driver in the world!

Mateo Toscano's dream of becoming a UPS driver was fulfilled last week by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, according to Good Morning America.

"I really liked it," Mateo told GMA after the exciting day. "It was so cool."

"Every day my mailman comes and delivers mail, and I just think I wanted to be a delivery man," Mateo added to ABC News.

According to the outlet, Mateo was diagnosed with leukemia years ago, but only recently decided that he wanted to be a UPS driver.

Over the last year, Mateo was unable to leave his house due to his cancer diagnosis and the health risks caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, GMA reported.

Courtesy of Caroline Photography/Make-A-Wish Foundation Mateo Toscano

Courtesy of Caroline Photography/Make-A-Wish Foundation Mateo Toscano

RELATED: San Francisco Boy Is Cancer-Free 5 Years After Saving City as 'Batkid'

While at home, Mateo found joy by watching people pass his living room window. He particularly loved watching delivery drivers come by and leave packages at his door, according to GMA.

It wasn't long before Mateo decided he also wanted to bring joy to people in that role — so the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with critical illnesses, made it happen.

"Oftentimes, it's the simplest of wishes that become larger than life and are not only life-changing for the wish child, but for their family and in Mateo's case, an entire community," Jennifer Stolo, the president and CEO, Make-A-Wish Northeastern & Central California and Northern Nevada, tells PEOPLE.

On May 6, Mateo joined UPS driver Dave Cundari for his delivery shift, ABC affiliate KXTV reported.

Like Cundari, Mateo was given a UPS uniform to wear and his own mini UPS truck to drive before heading out on the road. As with any driver, Mateo took a driver's test before taking the wheel, according to GMA.

Courtesy of Caroline Photography/Make-A-Wish Foundation Mateo Toscano

Courtesy of Caroline Photography/Make-A-Wish Foundation Mateo Toscano with his mom

Throughout the day, Mateo helped deliver packages to various Stockton city officials and local police, officially cementing his title as the world's youngest UPS driver, GMA reported.

Later, he and Cundari, a 37-year veteran of UPS, loaded gifts from Macy's into their trucks and delivered them to Mateo's mom, Cynthia Toscano, and grandmother Debbie, per ABC News.

"I like to deliver packages to the mail and drive my little UPS truck, my very, very own," Mateo told the outlet.

"I was busy as a bee," he added to GMA.

"His zeal for life and positive outlook – even during his treatment for leukemia – is contagious. Mateo has never met a stranger, just new friends, like the many delivery personnel he met in his neighborhood during the pandemic," says Stolo. "And, now, Mateo has countless new friends from partners on his wish: Macy's, UPS, the City of Stockton and Make-A-Wish staff and volunteers."

RELATED VIDEO: Inside 6-Year-Old Ethan Dean's Make-A-Wish Day As a Garbage Man

Mateo concluded his wish day by delivering flowers to his mom and grandma for Mother's Day — something that may seem so simple, yet meant so much to the Toscano family, GMA reported.

"My mom and I were both so touched by his Mother's Day gifts to us, and were very surprised by the pretty flowers!" Cynthia told GMA, noting that Mateo's doctors had previously advised against having cut flowers, wreaths or trees in their house while he was undergoing treatment.

"The flowers were a very nice way to signal the end of a very, very dark period," she added to the outlet. "Hopefully, the brighter times are here to stay."