Boy, 6, With Cystic Fibrosis Lives Dream as Garbage Man for a Day

— -- A 6-year-old California boy with cystic fibrosis is seeing his wish to be a garbage man come true thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The special day for Ethan Dean, from Rancho Cordova, California, began this morning with a surprise assembly at his elementary school.

Ethan, who uses a nebulizer and takes enzymes daily to manage his condition, was greeted with his own garbage truck, aptly named “Ethan’s Garbage Truck.”

Local waste management officials are now driving Ethan in his garbage truck to different stops around Sacramento, where he is met at each stop by a garbage-related superhero.

Ethan met the "Recycle Superhero" at the Sacramento Bee. Other stops during the day include the fire station, to meet the “Reuse Superhero,” and Frank’s Fat Restaurant, a popular restaurant where Ethan will perform a “standard trash pickup,” according to Make-A-Wish.

Ethan and his garbage truck will end the day at the capitol building in Sacramento, where Ethan will be recognized for his efforts to clean up the city.

Also along for the ride is Ethan’s dad, Jason, who dressed as a garbage man for the day. Nearly 7,000 people answered a call put out by Make-A-Wish to come cheer Ethan along on his journey.

“Ethan’s wish to be a garbage man for a day is a perfect example that anyone and everyone has the ability to grant a wish," Make-A-Wish America's Josh deBerge told ABC News. "Today we saw a local garbage man alongside thousands from the community of Sacramento, join together to make a six-year-old boy’s wish come true.”

The mayor of Rancho Cordova gave Ethan a key to the city this morning and Ethan is scheduled to receive a proclamation from the governor’s office this afternoon.