Jacob Hayward was diagnosed with a stage 4 Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer that has since spread to his lungs. He's gone through at least 50 rounds of chemotherapy, according to his family, and has undergone multiple radiation treatments and surgeries.
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But there is one thing that always seems to make his day: Getting the mail from Santa Ana postal carrier Van Singletary.
"He would dress up like a mailman," said the boy's father. "He would get the mail, come back, and basically hand it out to us."
Van said he's watched Jacob and his family grow throughout the years and delivering their mail is the highlight of Jacob's day.
"All the doctors and nurses, child life specialists, even patients, other kids on the other floors, would write him a note, knowing that he wasn't able to leave his room," said Jacob's mom. "So, it was excitement for him every day to check the mailbox."
So for his 7th birthday, Jacob's mother thought it would be a great idea to ask Van if her son can take a tour of their local post office. But Van did way more.
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This week, the mailman surprised Jacob with his own, child-sized postal truck.
"I wanted to make sure his wish was taken care of," he said.
Jacob even got his own uniform to match!
"What he did will be something we remember for the rest of our lives," said Jacob's dad.