Police across the world tell Ceejay ‘the force is with you’
The ‘Force’ really is with a three-year-old boy who is battling childhood leukaemia.
Ceejay McArdle’s mum Susan said the messages, photographs and videos from Irish gardaí and other officers around the world have lifted his spirits.
The Criminal Assets Bureau, the Emergency Response Unit
‘He’s in awe at how the police know his name’
and the Water Unit have all taken time to send personal messages to the youngster.
Ceejay is already an ‘honorary’ member of the gardaí and he hopes to join the force when he is older. Susan said, ‘One of the profound lessons we have learnt since Ceejay’s diagnosis is we are not alone.
‘Kids can’t fight cancer alone. One of the police officers commented to me, “we’ve got your six”, meaning “we have your back”. All the support and get well messages we are receiving from around the world is really helping us all on this horrible journey that we have been thrown on.”
‘Ceejay has a huge support group... the police officers have most certainly got his back.’
The messages began while he was in isolation with a nasty infection in his internal port, called a Hickman line, last week, and they have kept coming to the family.
Susan said a video from the Garda Water Unit where the divers hold up cards with messages of support on them, is a favourite.
‘Ceejay has a Hickman line which is not allowed to get wet so he was completely fascinated with the Garda Water Unit, describing them as “robots” in their protective clothing.
‘The videos and messages are really helping to lift Ceejay’s spirits. His face glows with excitement and he is in total awe at how the police officers know his name!’
The messages and videos have also come from gardaí in Kerry, Dublin, Limerick and the Garda Community Relations Bureau.
This is on top of messages from police in America, England and Germany.
Ceejay is also being sent photos of police dogs because at his home in Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, he has his own little guard dog called Pippin.
Susan said Pippin, a Bichon Frise, ‘lies beside Ceejay on his off days and plays with him on his good days’.
It is expected that Ceejay will be receiving treatment for leukemia until 2018.