Power Rangers, Police Help Fill Boy’s Wish List : Philanthropy: Make-A-Wish group arranges for cancer patient, 5, to go on a shopping spree with Santa, ride in a squad car.

Five-year-old Eduardo Armendariz couldn’t stop smiling as he lived his Christmas dream Friday.

First, the shy, tousle-haired boy got to meet one of his heroes--a police officer--and ride in the front seat of a squad car to a Toys R Us store for a $1,000 shopping spree in the company of Santa Claus. He then took a limousine ride to McDonald’s for a breakfast of hash browns. Then he was on television, saying “ Feliz Navidad “ as he waved to the cameras.

The pure joy on Eduardo’s face at every turn almost made one forget that he is dying of lymphatic cancer and is unlikely to see another Christmas.

To make this holiday memorable, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County, Toys R Us, McDonald’s, the Anaheim Police Department and the Lake Forest Limousine Service donated their services.

“I’m very grateful for what everybody has done,” said Elias Armendariz, the boy’s father. Most of the morning, the unemployed electrician had stood back, quietly watching his son gleefully fill shopping carts with toys. Tears sometimes welled in the man’s eyes.

“I’m so happy because he’s happy, but I am also sad,” the father said.

Eduardo had come to the attention of Make-A-Wish only two weeks ago when the foundation was contacted by a social worker. The group grants the wishes of children with life-threatening diseases.

“First, he wanted to go to El Salvador to visit his uncle, but our rules say that we can’t let anyone under 12 take a trip out of the country,” said Mel Slavick, a Make-A-Wish volunteer and an sculptor from Orange. “We asked him if he wanted to go to Disneyworld or something like that, but he wasn’t into that. Then we found out how much he loves policemen and Power Rangers (a children’s television series that is the basis for a popular line of dolls). So we came up with this idea.”

Friday’s adventure began at 6 a.m. when Officer George Dominguez arrived at the Armendariz’s downtown apartment, along with Make-A-Wish volunteers Slavick, Laura Manessero and Joan Matthias.

Eduardo, dressed in a blue jacket, black pants and shiny black shoes, had been told the family was going to Tijuana for the day. So he was stunned when he saw Dominguez, in uniform, standing in front of the apartment with his patrol car.

Eduardo, his mouth agape, craned his neck as he stared up at Dominguez. When the officer offered his hand, Eduardo stiffly shook it. When Dominguez opened the front passenger door and offered the boy a seat, Eduardo’s face lit up with a smile.

“I can’t tell you how much he loves the police,” said Argentina Armendariz, the boy’s mother. The family also has two daughters--Maria, 7, and Veronica, 1.

When Eduardo arrived at the Toys R Us in Huntington Beach, he was greeted by Santa Claus. Santa led him inside an hour before opening time, so Eduardo would have the store to himself.

Eduardo wasted no time filling the shopping carts. A paddle-ball went in first, followed by dolls of Aladdin and Genie. A toy police car. For his sisters, Eduardo got a Barbie doll and a stuffed Barney the dinosaur.

“They’ve been very sweet to me,” he said of his sisters.

Then it was over to the big-ticket items, where Eduardo chose a child’s motorized yellow Jeep, which he drove around the store.

But Eduardo was slightly disappointed because no Power Ranger dolls--by far the season’s most popular toy--were to be found on the shelves. But then store director Timothy Bush pulled out two he had been saving for Eduardo, bringing the boy’s biggest smile of the day.

“Mothers are going to see this in the news and say: ‘See, I told you they were hiding more in the back,’ ” Bush joked.

Soon, the family was back at home and Eduardo and Maria were running on the grass, excitedly playing with the Power Ranger dolls and a plastic sword and shield.

His mother said she was happy to see him play. Radiation treatments and chemotherapy often leave Eduardo with so little energy he can only watch TV.

“A lot of times we’ll feel real bad for him, but he’ll always tell us: ‘I’m fine, I feel OK, don’t worry about me,’ ” she said.

Eduardo smiled. “This has been a fun Christmas.”