Cherry Hill 12-year-old battling cancer surprised with Make-A-Wish safari
Mateo Malcarney and his family are heading to South Africa this week thanks to Make-A-Wish New Jersey and Subaru of Cherry Hill.
Just over a year after learning he was in remission from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 12-year-old Mateo Malcarney arrived at Cherry Hill’s Subaru dealership Monday afternoon for a surprise that he’s been wishing for.
With a bright smile stretched across his face, Mateo was practically vibrating with excitement as he learned that not only had his Make-A-Wish for an African safari been granted, but he and his family are leaving for their adventure in just a few days.
“I’ve never been and I feel like it’d be a cool experience,” Mateo said of the origin of his safari dream.
To get ready for his upcoming adventure, Mateo and his friends got some hands-on experience with a variety of animals from Zoophoria NJ, including Monty the ball python, a Madagascar hissing cockroach named Ew, and Tripod, a 31-year-old African spurred tortoise equipped with a 3D-printed prosthetic foot.
Mateo’s favorite part of the show?
“All of it,” he said after an afternoon spent meeting snakes, lizards, a baby alligator, and much more.
“I just love animals, same with my brother,” he added.
Both Mateo and his little brother Carlos, 8, are most looking forward to seeing the African wildlife on their trip — especially the animals known as the Big 5, Mateo said, which includes the African buffalo, rhinoceros, lion, leopard, and African elephant.
The trip, which was organized and funded by Make-A-Wish New Jersey and Subaru of Cherry Hill, comes as Mateo and his family gradually work their way back to how things were before his May 2025 diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, before they had to adapt to a “new normal,” Mateo’s dad Keith Malcarney said at Monday’s event.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a group of blood cancers that start in the white blood cells, is diagnosed in about 800 children and teens each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Following treatment and physical therapy, Mateo is now almost entirely back to where he was pre-diagnosis, Malcarney said, and the safari is the perfect way to celebrate that.
“He’s just a great kid, a great son, and a great big brother,” he said as he watched his son’s face light up each time a new animal was put before him.
And while Keith and his wife Patricia are certain to enjoy the trip in their own right, he said he is most excited to experience the safari through his kids’ eyes, living vicariously through them as they make memories together that will last a lifetime.
“Just watching their eyes light up,” he said, smiling. “It’s all just in those little moments, those little comments, those little smiles here and there — just for the both of them to have this experience is amazing.”
At the same time, the couple is also looking forward to a future where their eldest son’s battle with cancer is a memory just the same.
“It’s really just thanking God that he’s in remission right now and you just hope it stays that way,” Malcarney said.
