Halloween: Iowa boy converts wheelchair into UPS truck costume

JESUP, Iowa — An Iowa boy loves his UPS driver, so for Halloween his wheelchair will be converted into the company’s signature brown delivery truck.

>> Read more trending news

Reed Crosby, 8, of Jesup, enjoys it when the UPS delivery driver comes to his home. His mother, Erika Havlik, runs a small business from her home, so packages are part of the family’s normal routine, the Des Moines Register reported.

“He just gets so excited when the UPS man comes,” Havlik told the newspaper. “Just like any kid, he loves to get mail and see what’s inside and just the surprise of it.”

The boy has a rare form of leukodystrophy called vanishing white matter disease, which affects his brain and spine, KCCI reported. Only 300 people have been diagnosed with the condition, the television station reported.

When it came time for choosing a costume, Crosby’s answer was predictable.

It took a few weeks, but the boy’s family transformed cardboard boxes into a UPS truck to fit around an old wheelchair, the Register reported. And he had a brown uniform ready to wear.

Crosby recently had the opportunity to take a photo in his costume with the driver he waits for daily -- UPS employee Rick Woods, according to the newspaper.

Havlik said that Rick Woods “just always has a smile on his face and treats Reed so well,” the Register reported.

Havlik said she asked Woods earlier in the week if he would take a photo her son on Wednesday since there was no school that day.

“He said, ‘Yes, absolutely,’” Havlik told the newspaper. “So, we saw him coming down the street on Wednesday and Reed’s like, ‘He’s here!’ And so, we got Reed the costume and opened the garage door, and he pulled right into our driveway to get the picture.”

It was a special delivery from a UPS worker to a big fan.

©2021 Cox Media Group