The Make-A-Wish Foundation has been making dreams come true for children facing critical illnesses since 1980, granting over 350,000 wishes. Among these heartwarming stories is that of Chad Carter, a young boy who battled leukemia and wished to be a Garbageman.
Carter's wish is more than just a one-day experience.
Carter's Heartfelt Wish
Carter Gomes has known for most of his seven years what he wants to be when he grows up. At 7 years old and officially having overcome his cancer diagnosis, Carter was one step closer to achieving his dream job. The second-grader, who has battled leukemia since he was 3, volunteers each Tuesday evening to roll his neighbors’ garbage cans out to the curb in Turlock, California.
“During COVID, he would wake us up at 6:30 and he would want to stand in front of the window and watch the garbage trucks every Wednesday,” his father, Walt Gomes, told USA TODAY. Carter has had garbage-man-themed birthday parties and dressed up as a garbage truck one Halloween, according to his mom, Elsa Gomes. “He's got more garbage trucks and garbage cans than we can count,” she said.
When Carter walked through the Wishing Place doors, it was clear that his true heartfelt wish would involve his love of garbage trucks. Carter couldn’t wait to make his dreams of becoming a garbage collector a reality.
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The Journey to Making a Wish
Carter was referred for a wish following his leukemia diagnosis at just 3 years-old. Carter was initially on a three-year treatment plan, his mother said. “Because of the extensive research they've done with leukemia and his particular type being a standard case, treatment was down to two years instead,” she said. “He did amazing.”
While in the midst of his battle with leukemia, Carter spent a grueling four years in treatment, including a period where a strong reaction to chemotherapy limited his mobility. It wasn’t always a smooth journey. Carter once suffered a period where a strong reaction to chemotherapy left him in an almost paralyzed state with difficulty moving, according to his parents.
“He did some physical therapy to help with that, but he never complained,” Elsa said. He always did what was asked of him, and he was very strong through the symptoms and feeling sick.
Three years ago, Carter visited its Sacramento facility to drop his wish into a wishing well, his mom said. “He received a very special key that only he could access the wishing well with,” she said.
A Dream Come True
Carter didn’t have to wait until he was older to live his dream, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and his community. His dream of becoming a garbage man was the second granted by Make-A-Wish Northeastern and Central California/Northern Nevada.
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From pandemic pause to reality Carter's wish had been in the works since 2019, but family health issues and the pandemic placed plans on hold. On Nov. 7, the organization finally granted his wish of joining Turlock Scavenger’s garbage collection team as he rode alongside his uncle, who is a company employee.
Make-A-Wish invited Carter’s 500 peers to a school-wide assembly where spectators chanted his name as he climbed into the garbage truck. Among the many trash collection stops that Carter made with Turlock Scavenger was the place where his own medical journey began: his local hospital. From there, Carter met local police and fire department members and made several stops en route to the city’s waste management, including the Chamber of Commerce.
The wish kid was showered with gifts and goodies on his special day, including a garbage pickup-themed cake. He also visited the Stanford Emanuel Radiation Oncology Center in Turlock, where he got to empty the facility’s garbage and hit a major milestone in his cancer journey.
With a smile on his face, Carter eagerly rang the no-more-chemo bell as a crowd cheered him on. “It was big,” Elsa Gomes said. “It felt like a wonderful way to remind us of how far Carter has come and the kind of the battle he went through, and to see everyone so excited for him was amazing.”
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The Impact of Carter's Journey
Cancer is a word no parent expects to hear, Gomes said as she recalled Carter’s diagnosis at age 3. “(There’s) all of the fear that comes with it and what could be the outcome of it,” said Gomes, who's also a mother to Carter's sister, 5-year-old Keely Gomes.
Wish kids don’t need to have a terminal prognosis, but they do have to be diagnosed with a critical illness to qualify, according to CEO Karen Alvord. Maddie, diagnosed with cancer in 2021 but now in remission, was granted her wish to be a barrel racer at the Cal Poly rodeo!
Carter, now 7 and in full health after battling blood cancer, wished to be a Garbageman!
“He made it through”
| Name | Age at Diagnosis | Wish | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chad Carter | 3 | To be a Garbageman | Wish granted, now in full health |
| Maddie | N/A | To be a barrel racer | Wish granted, now in remission |
It felt like a wonderful way to remind us of how far Carter has come and the kind of the battle he went through, and to see everyone so excited for him was amazing.
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