WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Deputies were out in full force to make a special West Palm Beach girl’s dream come true, just in time for Christmas.
Five-year-old Cali Franklin has a form of brain cancer that doctors worry cannot be cured.
The girl’s family spent Friday making precious memories on what could be her last Christmas.
Cameras captured the moment Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ken Torrance gifted the 5-year-old with her own sheriff patrol car, a sheriff shirt and even her own badge.
Torrance said he met Franklin and her mother, Kierra Hollis, before the girl was diagnosed with brain cancer.
They formed a fast friendship, a bond that grew even stronger when Franklin told him she wanted to be a deputy, just like him.
After finding out about her diagnosis, Torrance met with the founder of the West Palm Beach nonprofit called Mini Me.
Torrance and Mini Me partnered to make sure Franklin’s dream of becoming a deputy came true on what her mother says could be her last Christmas.
“When you hear a boatload of doctors and nurses tell you there’s nothing else that they can do, to make memories is really important,” said Hollis as she held back tears. “To just see her smile … we’ve always made memories, but this time, it’s so precious.”
Torrance said this moment meant the world to him as well, adding he looks at Franklin like a daughter and was devastated when he heard the diagnosis.
Mini Me provides support for children battling cancer and their families. They offer everything from financial help, food, clothing and toys.
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