Beaumont girl diagnosed with brain tumour gets special day with police officers and dog team
‘It's nice to see her laughing and getting along with everybody’ mother said
An eight-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February was treated to a day of Edmonton police training, canine team demonstrations and a ride in a police helicopter on Thursday.
Janaya Chekowski-Mckenzie laughed and smiled as she watched Edmonton police dog Fallon take down an officer posing as a suspect. Her mother, Amanda Crow, also smiled.
"There was a long time there where it wasn't a very happy time," Crow said. "It's nice to see her laughing and getting along with everybody and enjoying it."
Edmonton police officers spent the morning at their training facility showing Janaya the training exercises officers have to complete to become part of the force.
It was followed by a tour of the EPS Kennels where police dogs are trained. Air One, the EPS helicopter, landed in the training yard, before taking Janaya on a short tour above the city.
In February, Janaya was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). With the diagnosis, doctors expect her to to live for only another year or two due to the aggressive form of cancer. Janaya has been going through radiation therapy to buy her some time.
Her mother helped her draw up a bucket list, which includes creating a YouTube video, singing on stage, studying paleontology, and swimming with dolphins in Mexico. Being an EPS officer wasn't on the list but it was added when someone reached out to the family after hearing about Janaya's goals.
"It may not have not been on the bucket list, but it's something she enjoyed beyond belief and it's something I appreciated," said Crow.
Const. Bryan Langevin gave the tour around the kennels Thursday, demonstrating what his dog Fallon is trained to do.
"Anytime we have an opportunity to reach out like that to a citizen, especially someone in Janaya's shoes, we jump on that opportunity."
More about Janaya's bucket list and fundraising efforts can be found on her mother's blog.