Ahmad at firing range
Photo: Hagai Aharon
6-year old cancer patient becomes police officer for a day
Ahmad Basoul always dreamed of becoming a police officer, so Make a Wish Foundation allowed him to be one for a day with tour of Nazareth police department, firing range, specially sewn uniform
Sometimes dreams come true. Ahmad Basoul, a six-year old boy who has been diagnosed with bone cancer, always dreamed of becoming a police officer. The Make a Wish Foundation, in cooperation with the Nazareth Police Department, made his dream come true for one day.
Ahmad then visited the office of Station Commander Chief Superintendent Eli Krispil, where he headed the morning meeting. "We planned an entire day of police experiences for Ahmad," Krispil said. "It is a great privilege for us to fulfill the wish of a sick boy. We feel as though it is a holiday."
Wearing a uniform sewn to his size and the epaulettes of a deputy inspector general, Ahmad was picked up Wednesday from his home in the lower Galilee by a police car and driven to the Nazareth police station. Upon arrival he was saluted by the officers of the precinct.
Child's Play
Police officers stop vehicle on routine check only to find 10-passenger car filled with 38 children who come to Israel as illegal workers, return to territories on weekend
The excited Ahmad then went on a tour of the precinct and learned about the different departments. He then went on to Afula, where he visited the Amakim SWAT team, observed a police robot at work, and underwent firing range training – one of his lifelong dreams.
"I like shooting a gun and automatic weapons," Ahmad said. I wanted to be a police officer because they set things right, and when they speak to someone that doesn't answer – they shoot him."
Ahmad then visited Jenin's Border Guard. He toured the border and then presided over a lineup conducted in his honor. For the entire length of the visit Ahmad insisted he was not tired, despite his illness.
When Ahmad's disease was diagnosed two years ago doctors took to searching for a bone marrow donor, but only after his mother became pregnant was the donor discovered – his new brother. The transplant was carried out, but Ahmad still requires constant medical treatment, and his condition is unstable.
A spokeswoman for the Make a Wish Foundation said that the organization fulfils dozens of wishes annually. Sixty percent of the children live in the north, and are part of the Arab sector.
