4-year-old gets star treatment as honorary Boston police officer
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A 4-year-old was smiling ear to ear Saturday while he got to be an honorary Boston Police officer for the day and member of their basketball team at a local cancer research fundraiser.
"We won't know where we'll be a year from now, but today my son's he's happy as he can be," said dad David Higgins.
Declan Higgins, a huge BPD fan, and is being treated for a stage III brain tumor. He's had surgery and radiation at Dana-Farber for the tumor.
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"It's one day at a time," said David.
On Saturday, complete with a hat and mini badge, Declan was picked up from his Medfield home and escorted to West Roxbury for a day of fun and basketball.
Boston Police officers were playing in the annual A Shot For Life: Battle of the Badges to raise money and awareness for brain cancer research at the Stephen E. and Catherine Pappas Center for Neuro-Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Declan got the chance to be part of their team as an honorary player as officer said Boston firefighters.
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"I'm honored that he's here - he's my favorite player today," said nonprofit leader Mike Slonina.
Slonina started the nonprofit following his mother's brain cancer diagnosis in 2010.
"It's supposed to united people through basketball," he said.
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And that it did - a large crowd of people were in West Roxbury to cheer Declan on as he arrived before the game. There were posters, cheerleaders and plenty of police officers giving the 4-year-old the basketball star treatment.