Kids fighting cancer get an up-close look at the nation's largest police force
It's all made possible by the Sunshine Kids Foundation
LOWER MANHATTAN, Manhattan (WABC) -- The Sunshine Kids Foundation is giving children who are fighting cancer a chance to put aside their illness and just be kids, even if for just a moment.
The NYPD was the host for the day, giving a group, comprised of children all over the country, an up-close look at every aspect of the nation's largest police force.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban rolled out the red carpet inside his office.
Alfredo from Hillsdale, New Jersey is battling Leukemia, while Juel Martinez from Clifton has lung cancer.
Martinez was surprised by what he saw inside the commissioner's office.
It's all made possible by the Sunshine Kids Foundation, an organization that was started in 1982 with a handful of oncology patients in Houston. Their only option for treatment was in medial settings.
"They craved getting out of the hospital environment and wanted to be in the sunshine, so they started to call themselves the Sunshine Kids," said Sunshine Kids Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Wisler.
For NYPD Detective Chad Moritt, this is personal. He first introduced the NYPD to Sunshine Kids in 2015.
"A lot of kids are from small towns throughout the U.S., so coming to New York City for the first time... it's overwhelming but they really do enjoy it," he said.
The kids also use this time to share information on say, about which needles hurt the least, tips on getting through chemotherapy and the pranks they play on their nurses and doctors.
"I have this little ball shooter that I like to pull out and shoot them," said cancer patient Abigail Martin.
Martin says the nurses and doctors giggle and play along most of the time.
This is a powerful experience, that lets the kids, who have so much on their plates, know they are not alone.
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