There are all kinds of villains. We see them wearing dark masks and looking scary in movies. They try to take down the hero by hurting people or stealing. There are real life bandits and criminals, too. They do the wrong thing and get chased by cops, and end up in prison. Then there are the bad guys we can’t see but try to fight with all our might, just like what 6-years-old Abigail Arias, from Freeport, Texas, USA, is doing.
Abigail and her family received some really tough news. She was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer in children. She was in remission but it has since returned more intensely. At this time, the doctors are telling the family there is no cure.
But Abigail is one tough little girl. Her mom Ilene Arias says, “They [the doctors] basically said it’s time to enjoy some life. [It’s been] Extremely tough. We cried for a few weeks.” And yet, Abigail is the one who isn’t giving up hope, confident that even though she has cancer and that the bad guys are in her lungs, she’s not going to let them win.
It was when the Arias family met Chief Ray Garivey of the Freeport Police that Abigail told him she wanted to be a police officer when she grows up. She and the family bonded with the Chief, and upon hearing of the girl’s fight for her life, he decided to make her wish come true.
Down at the station, surrounded by friends, family and several officers from other stations, Abigail, in her adorable custom-made Freeport police uniform, was sworn in under oath as a Freeport officer. Abigail climbed a step ladder as she repeated after Chief Garivey. He is holding back the tears as the young girl promises to fight the bad guys until all her cancer is gone. He chokes up as the crowd erupts with applause and she gets a medal and an official welcome into her new police family.
“Her spirit, her toughness, her will to survive, that’s what (we believe in),” Chief Garivey says. “Her terrific smile and will to keep fighting ‘the bad guys’ inside of her – I wanted to make her dream come true. You have to meet her to really understand what a great and inspiring young lady she is.”
Click below to really see Abigail’s light shine through.
