Abigail Arias is a little girl who had a big dream: to become a police officer. And on Thursday, that dream came true when she was officially sworn in as an honorary officer in Freeport, Texas.
The 6-year-old has Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer in children.
“The chemo and radiation hasn’t worked and basically the family is now leaving it in God’s hands and praying for a miracle,” Freeport Police Chief Raymond Garivey Jr. told CNN.
“They basically said it’s time to enjoy some life,” her mother, Ilene Arias, told CNN affiliate KTRK. “Extremely tough. We cried for a few weeks.”
Garivey met Abigail back in December at the police department’s “Pancakes with Santa” event. During the meeting, the girl expressed her desire to become a police officer when she grows up.
“Her terrific smile and will to keep fighting ‘the bad guys’ inside of her — I wanted to make her dream come true,” Garivey said. “You have to meet her to really understand what a great and inspiring young lady she is.”
So the police chief immediately put things in motion to fulfill her dream. He reached out to a company called Cop Stop to get a custom Freeport uniform specially designed for Abigail. Cop Stop’s owner, Rick Fernandez, donated the uniform to her, along with the duty rig and gun belt.
Abigail was sworn in surrounded by her family and police officers from around the state.
“She is no doubt God-sent,” Garivey said. “Her story brought peace officers from all over today into one room and it was a magical moment for all who were in attendance.”