Christmas is usually filled with happiness as people love to give gifts to one another, and most of the time, the family is complete to celebrate the special occasion. However, there was a story filled with sadness after a local Santa Clause decided to give a boy his final wish.
According to a report published by BBC News in December 2016, a man named Eric Schmitt-Matzen, who is a mechanical engineer and the president and owner of Packing Seals & Engineering located in Jacksboro, dresses up as everyone’s favorite Christmas icon every year. Unfortunately, he received a shocking call one day calling for his Santa in a special case.
He immediately rushed to a hospital in Tennessee as he was told that a five-year-old boy who was suffering from an undisclosed medical condition wanted to see him.
Schmitt-Matzen told family members to stay outside of the room if they were going to be emotional or cry the whole time during his visit, as he needed to be “the happy guy” to make the young boy smile and forget his problems.
“‘No kidding, please step out of the room… Afterwards, I’ll sit out there and I’ll cry with you,’” he recalled telling the family in an interview with WCBD News 2 in December 2016.
Upon arriving, he gave the young man a gift, which was a toy from the animated show “Paw Patrol” that the kid’s mom had bought. Since he “could barely unwrap it,” Schmitt-Matzen helped him do it.
He told the boy, who had wanted the toy for a long time, that he had already prepared the present for him some time ago.
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At the time, he recalled that the young boy was more concerned about missing the Christmas festivities than dying because, most of the time, children are very innocent and don’t understand the entire concept of death.
Later on, he had a conversation with the boy who asked him where he’ll go after death, to which Schmitt-Matzen, dressed up as Santa Clause, replied that when he “gets up those pearly gates,” he should tell them he’s “Santa’s number one elf,” as reported by NBC News.
After they talked, the young child sat up, gave him a hug, and asked, “Santa, can you help me?” Unfortunately, at that moment, the little boy passed away in his arms.
“When I felt the life go from him, I looked up, tears running down my face, and looked over at the window and that’s when (his) mom started screaming,” he recalled.
After the encounter, he left as fast as he could from the hospital.
“I spent four years in the Army with the 75th Rangers, and I’ve seen my share of (stuff). But I ran by the nurses’ station bawling my head off,” he recalled.
The emotional moment wouldn’t leave him alone and he even came to a point when he was thinking about retiring from dressing up as Santa Clause. But then he realized that he had to do it to make the kids happy.
“When I saw all those children laughing, it brought me back into the fold. It made me realize the role I have to play… For them and for me,” he said.
He also told BBC News: “If somebody calls I’ll do it. It hurts, but I’ll do it.”
What do you think of the man dressed up as Santa Clause’s story? Would you do something similar to make someone’s wish come true? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.
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