This young man you see here is eight years old and has recently been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. His Aunt is a friend of mine and she got in touch with me and explained that he has always wanted to be a police officer. She wanted to do something really special for him because he's been so brave through all the tests and trips he's had to take to hopsitals these last several days. She asked if perhaps I could arrange a time for him to meet some officers and maybe we could make him an honorary officer for the day....that got me thinking and I knew we could do better than that!
I talked to my supervisors and we brainstormed. Soon the news got out to the rest of the officers and everyone was chiming in on what we should do to make this boys day extra special. We came up with a plan...He came to the police department and we gave him a little tour, and then he was sworn in by the City Secretary and given a badge. One of our officers is a talented leather craftsman and made a cover for it and everything. A local trophy company made him a plaque proclaiming it his day and didn't charge us a penny for it. With the preliminaries out of the way, the REAL fun could begin!
He was transported to our next location - which was the nearby park. We had two plain clothes police officers in an unmarked vehicle drive by and this little boy got to get into a Police cruiser with lights & sirens going (at very slow speeds, I might add...gotta keep everyone safe!) and they cornered the "bad guys" in their vehicle. Then we had our Honorary Police Officer give the command to release the K-9 officers and they took down the "bad guy" in the bite suit. Then this little boy got to arrest him and slap the cuffs on him.
We did a couple more things that made the day memorable and everyone got to shake this brave young man's hand. It was a special day for this little guy as well as all the officers that participated.
For me....well, there are just some things in life that put it all back into perspective....today was one of them.
Wendi, this is a heart warming story, and wow, so cool that you helped to put this all together. Something like this is what it is all about, reaching out to make a difference, and you can bet this made a huge difference in this young trooper's life.
Big tears in the eyes make it hard to type. What an amazing group of people urself included . Such a lovely story . I wish him and everyone around him lots of strengnth and to enjoy life to the max. Thank you for sharing such a touching story.
Great prespective on this shot .. tells a good story .
What a wonderful story Wendi. How great that everyone turned to and made such a memorable day for this lad. I like how you've taken this picture, your eye leads through from the boy through the window to the action. Congrats to you all!
Great prespective on this shot .. tells a good story .