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Thrilled 7-year-old gets ultimate Ghostbusters surprise (pictures)

Braeden Rios, who's fighting a lung disease, gets a visit from the local Ghostbusters fan group on his seventh birthday.

Danny Gallagher
CNET freelancer Danny Gallagher has contributed to Cracked.com, Mental Floss, Maxim, Break.com, Mandatory, Jackbox Games, Geeks Who Drink and many, many other publications in his never-ending quest to bring the world's productivity to a screeching halt. He lives and works in Dallas. Email Danny.
Danny Gallagher
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1 of 10 Iowa Ghostbusters

Braeden gets a big birthday surprise

Braeden Rios, 7, sees the Iowa Ghostbusters' ECTO-1 arriving at his home in Clinton, Iowa for his birthday party on Tuesday. Braeden's twin sister Abigail, 7, was also quite surprised to the paranormal investigators and eliminator pulling into their driveway.

Braeden's mother Michelle said she approached the cosplay group on Facebook while trying to find a gift for her son on the Web. She told them about her son's obsession with the Ghostbusters and his struggles with bronchial malacia, a lung disease that can cause breathing problems and respiratory tract infections. Andrew Smith, a co-founding member of the Ghostbusters group, said he and his co-founder Matt Bousman offered to make a personal visit for Braeden's birthday party.

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Meeting a Ghostbuster

Braeden meets Andrew Smith, one of the co-founding members of the Iowa Ghostbusters.

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You're hired!

Smith presents Braeden with a special surprise on his birthday.

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Braeden's ready to believe you

Braeden shows off the Certificate of Recruitment awarded to him by Bousman, left and Smith, right, making him an official member of the Iowa Ghostbusters.

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Somebody blows their nose and you wanna keep it?

The Iowa Ghostbusters also gave Braeden two vials of ectoplasm including the green kind usually found on Class 4 full roaming vapors and the pink kind that makes toasters dance to Jackie Wilson songs.

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But that's not all!

Braeden unwraps another special Ghostbusters gift for his seventh birthday.

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The Proton Pack

Braeden jumps with joy at the sight of the new Proton Pack he received from his parents for his birthday.

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Ghostbuster in Training

Bousman helps Braeden suit up and take his new Proton Pack out for a test-bust.

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Throw It!

Smith, left, and Bousman, right, show Braeden how to prime up his proton pack to really busy some heads...in a spiritual sense, of course.

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10 of 10 Justin Brushett/Iowa Ghostbusters

Nice Shootin', Tex!

Smith and Bousman let their new recruit actually fire a beam of protons and hope that he doesn't cross the streams causing all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

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