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Make-A-Wish grants 6-year-old boy with Cystic Fibrosis his wish to become a garbage man

Posted at 9:37 AM, Aug 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-02 09:38:05-04

SACRAMENTO, California - Talk about a trashy wish.

Six-year-old Ethan Dean could have any wish he wanted from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He could go to the Super Bowl, or go to Disneyland or even meet the movie star of his dreams — like Iron Man or Spider Man.

As Michelle Flynn of the Make-A-Wish Foundation puts it, "We reach into their imagination and we make it a reality."

But Ethan had only one simple wish.

"Being a garbage man!" he said.

Ethan was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at just eight weeks old and receives treatment as part of his daily routine, as he explained to a crowd gathered in his honor at the California State Capitol.

Sam Turman has been picking up trash in Sacramento for 35 years, but now he's getting a very special partner for one day only.

"You know, the very first thing I thought of was seeing the joy  pure joy on his face," Turman said.

"You ready to go for the ride of your life?" Turman asked Ethan.

"Yeah," he said.

"Well alright!" Turman high-fived him.

Ethan's favorite part of a typical day is watching the neighborhood garbage truck make its rounds.

And that simple act sparked his one-of-a-kind wish.

"Well, it's an unusual wish," Flynn said.

But we can all learn a lot from the little boy with an uncertain future, who found such incredible happiness from a job most of us frown upon.

Hundreds lined the streets of Sacramento to cheer Ethan on!

And what's the one thing Turman will always remember about Ethan's special wish?

He paused for a moment, then said, "Probably pure joy, and I'm going to try not to cry."