[ad_1]
APPLETON, Wisconsin — Chance Van Stippen always wanted to be a police officer.
His mother, Sheila Van Stippen, has been that way for as long as she can remember.
“That was the very first time he said he wanted to be a police officer,” Van Stippen said. “Never changed, never wavered for two seconds.”
On Friday, he had to become a cop—at least for the day.
He was sworn in as an honorary police officer with the help of the police departments of Menasha, Fox Crossing and Nina. He got a uniform, a badge, and even his own handcuffs. His mother said it made him very happy.
“I’m happier than I’ve seen him in a long time,” Van Stippen said. I could see absolute bliss.
It hasn’t been easy for the Van Stippen family to find that happiness in recent months.
They lost their home in a fire in November just days after Chance was diagnosed with diffuse midline glioma, a rare brain tumor.
“Unfortunately, they gave us about a year and a half to live because of how aggressive he was. It’s not cancer that is usually beaten.
That’s why these three police stations came together to make Friday a special day for families.
Not only did he get a badge and all that cool stuff, he had to do a lot of hands-on demonstrations. This included taser and mock gun shooting at Fox’s public safety training center practice range at his Valley Institute of Technology.
It was a community-wide effort.
Menasha Police Department Officer Dan Hornke said: “It shows that when communities can come together to surround and support their families, a heartbreaking event in a family’s life can turn into something very positive.
Chance finished radiation therapy on Tuesday. The family is now concentrating on clinical trials to see if there is anything else they can do to extend their time together.
“Chance is very dedicated and believes he can be a miracle,” Van Stippen said. I would love to try it and I support it.
Doing all they can means taking Chance to places he’s always wanted to go. It is included.
“From there, those were the first things he mentioned.
During that time, they cherish every day they spend together while praying for a miracle.
The Van Stippen family has a GoFundMe page. If you would like to donate, please click here.
[ad_2]
Source link
