A Dying Child's Last Wish to Santa Will Break Your Heart

All a terminally ill 5-year-old boy wanted for Christmas was to meet Santa Claus. 

No one could have imagined that Santa would be the last person this little boy would see before he died. 

Eric Schmitt-Matzen is a quite the character. With his 300-pound, 6-foot frame and frosty white beard, everyone knows him as Santa Claus. 

He is a professionally trained Santa who loves to spread holiday cheer to children and their families around Christmas time. Little did he know his joyful job would take a much more serious turn.

"I'd just gotten home from work that day," he told WFAA 8 News in an interview. "The telephone rang. It was a nurse I know who works at the hospital. She said there was a very sick 5-year-old boy who wanted to see Santa Claus."

When Matzen heard this tragic news he rushed to the hospital. He was shocked by what he saw. 

When he got there the nurse gave Matzen a gift to give to the sick boy when he entered his hospital room.

"When I walked in, he was laying there, so weak it looked like he was ready to fall asleep," he said.

"I sat down on his bed and asked: 'Say, what's this I hear about you're going to miss Christmas? There's no way you can miss Christmas. Why, you're my number one elf.'"

The little boy perked up when he saw Santa and unwrapped the gift in his hands. 

Then he told Matzen: "They say I'm going to die. How can I tell when I get to where I'm going?"

When Matzen heard this heart-breaking question he replied: "When you get there, you tell 'em you're Santa's number one elf, and I know they'll let you in."

Then the boy gave Santa one last hug. 

"I wrapped my arms around him. Before I could say anything, he died right there. I let him stay, just kept hugging and holding on to him," said Matzen.

Santa was the last face the boy saw. His mother came running in with tears in her  eyes. When she saw her son's body she cried: "No, no not yet."

Matzen, a retired veteran, said he has seen his share of suffering, but nothing hit him quite like this 5-year-old's death. 

"I cried all the way home," Matzen said. "I was crying so hard, I had a tough time seeing good enough to drive...It took me a week or two to stop thinking about it all the time. Actually, I thought I might crack up and never be able to play the part again."

But the devastating death gave Matzen even more passion when he went back to his job. 

"When I saw all those children laughing, it brought me back into the fold," he said. "It made me realize the role I have to play — for them and for me."