NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - The North Miami Police Department held a special swearing-in ceremony in honor of a boy who is battling cancer, and that was just part of a day filled with activities that helped fulfill a dream of being on duty.
Jeremiah is days away from turning 5 years old, but he has faced challenges many never will. He has been fighting neuroblastoma for about a year.
“My son Jeremiah will be 5 years old next week, and he has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma. It’s spread all over his body; it’s type 4, Stage 4,” said his mother, Daniela Isaza.
With his birthday coming up soon, Jeremiah got to celebrate in style at Heroes Hangout in North Miami, Saturday. It is a space where young cancer patients can craft, play and just be children in a sterile environment.
“When the kids come in, there’s no cost to the families whatsoever for anything here or to attend, and they can take home as many toys as they want,” said Silvia Dominguez-Vanni, the co-founder of Mystic Foundation and Heroes Hangout. “It’s a really fun and magical place to forget what they’re going through each and every day.”
But this visit wasn’t the only part of the celebration. Earlier in the day, jeremiah received a pretty distinct honor.
“He wants to be a police officer, so the North Miami Police Department ‘swore him in’ as a police officer,” said Dominguez-Vanni.
It was a day to remember, and it gave Jeremiah some time to forget the challenges he faces.
“He started treatment with COVID, and it’s been pretty much punishment for him, but to see him here in his favorite place in the whole wide world, it means the world for us,” said Isaza.
Everything for Heroes Hangout is donated, from the toys provided for the children to the space itself.
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