A young boy suffering from a rare disease was faced with a bundle of surprises, including a surprise trip to Disney World, just in time for the holidays.
The Burlington City Police in New Jersey rallied together to plan a trip for four-year-old Drew McGoff and his 6-year-old sister Penny. Drew was excited to ease his pain in the most magical place on earth.
The Police department showed their love because of Drew’s highly rare Perthes disease, a childhood condition that affects the hip. This takes place when the blood supply to the rounded head of the femur, also known as the thighbone, is temporarily disrupted. Without the appropriate blood supply, the bone cells begin to deteriorate and eventually die. This process is called avascular necrosis. You can read more about avascular necrosis here.
In Drew’s case, he’s had hip replacement surgery and now, he needs to be being carried. Life isn’t easy.
The Burlington City Police has been helping Drew for a while now. They started by installing railings into his home to allow for easier mobility around the house. Drew and Penny are huge Disney fans, so they bought them a multitude of Disney toys. The grand finale to this generous gift giving was an all-expenses-paid trip to Walt Disney World for several days of theme park and resort fun.
In addition, the generous cops also covered a full year membership to their local YMCA where Drew and his family can participate in water therapy.
“Beyond overwhelmed. Everything they’ve done for us already was over the top,” said Drew’s mother, Amy, to Channel 7 News Miami.
All of this came to light thanks to the officers who had created the Becky’s Beard Unit in honor of Becky Scott. She was a local paramedic who had recently died to cancer. This unit sponsors scholarships and takes part in activism toward children fighting adversity.
The night ended with a pizza party among the officers, Drew and his family. They were very much looking forward to their Disney World trip.
