Bundled in a red hoodie and a small law enforcement uniform, 6-year-old Rylan Pruitt raised his right hand in the front yard of his Fort Worth home.
Rylan – diagnosed with a brain cancer called medulloblastoma – was sworn in as an honorary police officer on January 26 by Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes.
Chief Noakes had kind words for his newly-minted miniature colleague, “You’re done! Shake my hand, please. Good job, I’m proud of you!”
Rylan received treatment in Tennessee at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. His mother, Marisa Pruitt, explained that doctors discovered a large brain tumor. Rylan subsequently braved thirty radiation sessions and four months of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, upon the conclusion of the chemotherapy, a new spot was located on his spine.
When Rylan returned to Texas, his Fort Worth neighbors welcomed him home with a thousand-vehicle birthday parade, including these special attractions: Spider-Man, monster trucks, and – his favorite – anything that illuminates with siren-like sounds.
“Just the support that Texas has for its community is just overwhelming. I don’t know how to describe it, his mother told NBC 5. “I’ve grown up here and would never go anywhere else.”
Greg Milini, Rylan’s grandfather, also expressed gratitude for the warmth that his grandson has been shown. “The love that has poured out from this community is not surprising, but is unlimited,” he said.
Rylan is scheduled for a March 1 return to the hospital, where he will undergo further scans to track the growth of the tumor and to implement a treatment plan.