In a moment that brought the local police chief to tears, a six-year-old Texas girl was made an honorary police officer in Freeport, Texas on Thursday, and she had the most compelling reason of any recruit: she has cancer which doctors say cannot be treated with chemotherapy, and she wanted to become an officer so she could fight the “bad guys” in her body and make them “go away.”
Abigail Arias has Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer in children. Freeport Police Chief Raymond Garivey Jr. told CNN, “The chemo and radiation hasn’t worked and basically the family is now leaving it in God’s hands and praying for a miracle.” Abigail’s mother Ilene admitted to KTRK, “They basically said it’s time to enjoy some life. Extremely tough. We cried for a few weeks.” Abigail herself said, “I have cancer. The bad guys are in my lungs. I rung the bell, but now this cancer is coming back.”
In December, Abigail met Garivey and told him about her dream to become a police officer. Garivey recalled, “She goes, ‘I want to be a police officer.’ I looked back at her dad and I said, “She probably should have never told me that.” And he kind of just winked at me and I said, “We’re going to make that happen.”
The police invited Abigail to come to the Freeport station on February 7 to become an honorary police officer. Garivey said, ““Her terrific smile and will to keep fighting ‘the bad guys’ inside of her — I wanted to make her dream come true,” according to CNN, adding, “You have to meet her to really understand what a great and inspiring young lady she is.”
Garivey asked an organization in Pearland called Cop Stop for a custom Freeport police uniform that would fit Abigail.
Abigail said she wanted to become a police officer so she could fight the “bad guys”: the cancer in her body. She said, “They beat up my body. I want to help the bad guys go away. And I want to help this cancer, like, go away in five seconds.”
Abigail’s mother, Eileen Arias, said, “Our greatest struggle is saying no to fear.” Her father Ruben added, “We’re strong in our faith; we believe in God. The doctors can say what they say medically, but we know that God is the One who has her destiny in His hands.”
When she was made an officer, Abigail went through the necessary back-and-forth with Chief Garivey, as she repeated after him:
Garivey: I now
Abigail: I now
Garivey: And forever
Abigail: And forever
Garivey: Promise
Abigail: Promise
Garivey: To keep fighting the bad guys
Abigail: To keep fighting the bad guys
Garivey: Until
Abigail: Until
Garivey: All of my cancer is gone
Abigail: All of my cancer is gone
Garivey said, “Her spirit, her toughness, her will to survive, that’s what (we believe in).”
Abigail said after she was made an officer: “It felt neat inside of my heart and in my body, I felt excitement and all of love.”
Video below. Get out the handkerchiefs.