With the help of the Make-A-Wish foundation, who teamed up with the Australian Federal Police, Declan was able to “blow stuff up” –a wish he’d had since being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in June 2015.
After a special surprise tour of Parliament House by Australia’s Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the Governer General, Peter Cosgrove, the pre-teen was given the chance to go behind the police borders at the Specialist Response Group headquarters in Canberra.
He participated in a hostage scenario before taking a ride in the force’s armoured vehicle to a training facility, where was able to freely explode a bunch of equipment.
A touching video of Declan’s adventures was posted to the ACT Policing Facebook page earlier this week.
“Declan is 12 years old and has leukaemia. His wish? To ‘blow stuff up!’” the clip’s caption reads.
“Declan is a real ‘boy’s boy’, and after spending so much time in hospital battling his illness he wanted to do something risky and out of his comfort zone.”
The AFP and Make-A-Wish sure made Declan’s dream come true.
The tween’s doting parents, Stephen and Belinda, say this experience will serve as a memory “he will never forget”.
“He’s had a focus other than his treatment – something to look forward to because it can be overwhelming when you’re going through it,” Belinda says.
“You don’t realise how important these wishes are until you’re receiving one.”
Make-A-Wish volunteers say experiences like Declan’s have the ability to make the world of difference for a child and their families battling cancer.
“It gives them hope, strength and joy throughout their illness and journey,” said a spokeswoman who’d spent a year making Declan’s wish come true.
After seven months of chemotherapy and over 30 blood transfusions, Declan is now said to be in remission, but is still undergoing treatment for the next eight months.
WATCH: Declan’s adventures in the video player below.
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