A 10-year-old Texas boy fulfilled his long-time dream of becoming a member of law enforcement.
Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, battling terminal brain and spinal cancer, reached his goal by being sworn into more than 100 police agencies in the state, the Houston Chronicle reported.
DJ’s initial idea was to raise awareness about childhood cancers, and he surpassed that goal with pride. The young boy has been declared an honorary police officer at 400 agencies, with Houston Spring Independent School District as the latest addition.
A ceremony was held Tuesday night at the Spring ISD board of trustees’ meeting, where the 10-year-old took an oath and became an honorary sergeant in its police force.
“Sergeants help shape the next generation,” Spring ISD Police Chief Ken Culbreath told The Chronicle. “They’re with the ground-level troops helping keep them out of trouble. The sergeant’s position is key to making sure the operations that happen in the field are connected to what’s coming from the chief or administration.”
Spring ISD Police Officer Jarrod Morton, who helped set up the event, praised DJ’s strength and determination while fighting a disease with no cure.
“With DJ’s aspirations and the goal he’s accomplished for himself, even though he’s in the health state that he’s in, he’s still pushing forward to do positive and bring awareness of his cancer and achieving your goals and your dreams,” Morton said.
“He’s still going out, meeting people and doing the things he’s wanted to do,” the officer continued. “With living with the type of cancer, knowing there’s no cure, he still gets up and goes forth to bring a smile to people’s faces. He can still do whatever he puts his mind to. It’s something that he’s not letting his diagnosis define who he is, he still gets up every day whether he’s in pain and decides to do that job.”
The young boy’s father, Theodis Daniel, told Fox 26 Houston that he knew his son was going to exceed his goal with over 100 badges of honor.
“I knew he was going to get to the 100 pretty quick. I know how the community is and law enforcement, like the military for myself. I do appreciate everyone coming out to support him. This is exactly why he has the push to fight harder,” Theodis said.
Theodis, a single father of three, said DJ “knows the severity of his cancer, but he is not letting it set him back or anything.”
While the proud father can’t have a full-time job due to his responsibilities caring for the young boy, he has a company that captures wild hogs and dangerous animals. He also responds to calls regarding neglected animals and relocates them to local rescues.
“No matter how hard it is. No matter how tough it is, you can push through it and get through it,” Daniel said. “I was telling some of the officers, I said, you know a lot of things happened with law enforcement officers last week and morale was kind of low. Now here comes walking a 10-year-old and everyone’s spirits pick up,” said Theodis.
