Wish Come True: Santa Surprises Boy with Leukemia in ‘Magical’ Winter Wonderland with Reindeer and Gifts

By Darby Jones November 8, 2021

Pastor, 7, received the surprise of a lifetime when he shared a dinner of hamburgers and cookies with Santa in the North Pole, just as he requested.

Although Christmas is over a month away, 7-year-old Pastor received some Christmas cheer a little early this year. Santa Claus surprised Pastor last week when the pair had hamburgers and cookies for dinner together in the North Pole, just as he had requested.

The boy, from Woodford, California, is currently battling leukemia. He had his wish fulfilled on the same day that Macy’s kicked off its 14th annual “Believe” letter-writing campaign in partnership with Make-A-Wish. The campaign runs through Dec. 24, and provides people of all ages the chance to send letters to Santa and deliver wishes.

Pastor was one of the lucky recipients, and his family said they could not be happier. “We felt overwhelmed [with] joy. Our hearts melted,” Pastor’s aunt Teresa said in an interview. “We were looking forward to this day… he would always talk about it. We just felt happy for him that he finally got to see [Santa].”

Pastor’s special day began with a meet-and-greet with Santa and Macy’s in Downtown Sacramento, followed by VIP transportation in a red Tesla to Golden 1 Center, where “a portion of the arena was transformed into a festive holiday atmosphere created specifically for Pastor,” according to Make-A-Wish.

We’re happy to kick off #MacysBelieve with Pastor’s wish to meet 🎅, complete with a winter wonderland experience, thanks to @Macys & @MakeAWishCANV! Send a letter to Santa to help make more wishes like Pastor’s come true at https://t.co/CCKG6O0Ldn. #PastorMeetsSanta @MakeAWish pic.twitter.com/am2Fm9N8Ly

— Make-A-Wish AK & WA (@MakeAWishAKWA) November 2, 2021

“What a wonderful day we’ve had today… this has been a beautiful day because we made so many special memories with Pastor,” Santa said. “Pastor is a wonderful young boy. He was so excited to meet me at Macy’s. And then we drove in a Tesla… he had so much fun yelling, ‘Open sesame!’ every time the doors opened.”

The retailer has helped grant more than 16,200 wishes and impact more than 3.2 million people, including wish kids and their families, according to a press release. For every letter sent to Santa through Dec. 24, Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish and up to $1 million to help grant wishes to kids who are currently fighting critical illnesses.

Image source: Make-A-Wish