Three-year-old Ben Graham has grown an affinity for all things Police. He gets a thrill from their cars, their dogs and uniforms.
But he’s been suffering from neuroblastoma since his diagnosis in 2015.
When he was only 18 months, he had to undergo intense brain surgery. Things improved after that but then the disease came back with a fiery vengeance. This time around, a stem cell transplant was needed, along with a handful of experimental treatments at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Neuroblastoma is an extremely rare form of cancer that develops from immature nerve tissue, born from the adrenal glands and easily spreadable along other areas of the abdomen and chest. To learn more, click here.
Ben went to a Touch A Truck event recently where he was marveled by Police vehicles. “He was just fascinated with our gear and the dogs and what we do,” said Camden County Police Officer Allen Williams.
The community surrounding Ben was so touched by his passion and heartbroken by his disease that they decided to chip in and do something truly special for the aspiring law man. They all bought Ben a kid-sized battery-powered Camden County Police squad car that was totally customized for him. Riding in shotgun with Ben was a huge stuffed German shepherd dog that could act as his K9 sidekick.
Officer Williams surprised Ben with an epic event. Ben’s serene neighborhood street was met with a Police escort and motorcade with trusty K9’s, Achilles and Recon, sirens going off and all. Ben was absolutely thrilled to see this Police parade in his honor.
Ben spent the day chasing cops around his front lawn with his new sidekick dog. The cops helped Ben with his car, then they worked their way to the actual Police cars, where they let him play with the lights, sirens and talk into the loud speaker. Despite his sickness, he was as happy as ever.
“This is amazing,” said his mom, Amanda, as she gazed at the crowd. “I knew they were coming, but I had no idea they’d do all this.”
