PHILADELPHIA (KYW/CNN) - A Pennsylvania boy got a special surprise thanks to the efforts of a local fire department.
This Christmas Eve, 10-year-old Evan Potter had a unique reminder of his late father.
Evan lost his Philadelphia firefighter father suddenly in 2016. He said he was hoping for a few fire company patches for Christmas as a way to honor his dad.
Unknown to Evan, Engine 33 was already on the job. They had collected about 100 patches for Evan at that point. Then two weeks after that story aired and they invited local television station KYW in for an update.
Evan’s wish had gone viral.
And still he was in the dark.
“It was a big secret we didn’t want to ruin it for him so I had to keep him off the internet and he wasn’t allowed to watch TV,” said Amanda Potter, Evan’s mother.
“Everyday it was bins and bins coming in. It was astonishing it really was,” said Derek Moffett, a local firefighter.
Then on Christmas Eve, bags upon bags were packed up that Santa loaded in. Then off to Evan’s house they went.
Evan didn't quite know what to make of it until the boxes full of gifts for him and his sister were placed under the tree.
The thousands of patches were from hundreds of cities from every state in the U.S. and abroad.
"I have a whole dining room full of patches," said Amanda Potter, the boy’s mother.
It was a gesture to prove to Evan that he is not alone. Evan is a little brother to thousands across the world.
"Thank you firemen!" Evan said.
So what does Evan think his dad would say about this Christmas surprise?
"He has a lot of patches!" Evan said.
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