A Texas police department names a 9-year-old boy with liver cancer its honorary captain.
The boy, Brandon Tadeo Alvarez, got a cancer diagnosis last year, then his illness went into remission in September. But the cancer was back again at the start of this year.
Officers of the Alton Police Department visited Brandon after receiving a phone call from a friend who’d noted the young boy’s love for law enforcement.
Brandon dreamed of one day becoming an officer himself.
Chief Jonathan Flores told Fox News, “During our visit, Brandon’s mom shared the details of the boy’s condition and informed us that doctors had stopped all treatment. We knew immediately that we needed to make his dream come true,”
More than 200 people, family, friends, elected officials, members of the community and officers from the neighboring police departments, gathered at City Hall to support Brandon in a ceremony where he was sworn in by Judge Keno Vasquez.
Members of law enforcement lined the walls to show their support.
Others from the community offered their own form of support to the boy and his family, creating a poster board of messages titled, “Not Going Down Without A Fight.”
Flores called the effort, “The essence of law enforcement and the thin blue line family,” adding, “When one of us is hurting, we all rally together and step up to the plate to help.”
The police chief added, “We will continue to support Brandon and his family, doing whatever we can to lift his spirits and help him to stay motivated and continue to fight this terrible disease.”