Police gather at hospital to support 11-year-old boy with brain cancer as he heads to hospice care
Law enforcement gathered at a New York hospital Wednesday in a moving show of support for an 11-year-old boy diagnosed with brain cancer. John Hoague-Rivette left the hospital and was transported to hospice care, according to CBS affiliate WRGB.
The Albany Police Department tweeted Wednesday afternoon about the visit, writing that many from police agencies across the area came to visit the boy at the Albany Medical Center. "John is passionate about law enforcement and we made sure he and his family know they're not alone," the department wrote.
The account also posted four images from the day, showing law enforcement personnel standing by the fifth grader's bedside, lining the hospital halls as he was wheeled by and surrounding an ambulance he appeared to be in.
The Honor Roll student's dad, Officer Lucas Hoague, has served as a State Corrections Officer, State University Police Officer in Oneonta and Albany and as an Instructor at a Law Enforcement Academy, according to a Facebook page aiming to raise awareness of the boy's illness.
John was diagnosed with grade three Anaplastic Astrocytoma, a tumor on the brain stem after experiencing symptoms earlier in the year, according to the Facebook page. He had trouble walking, eating and talking. He underwent an eight-and-a-half hour long procedure in May to remove the mass, but it was "too close to the brain stem" to take out, according to the page.
On Monday, the organizer of a GoFundMe page to raise money for the boy issued a tragic update."There's no easy way to say this: John's tumors are not responding to treatment. And there is no healing him," Sarah Slay wrote. She continued that his medical team decided further radiation would "only increase inflammation and pain."
The page has raised nearly $17,000 so far for the family.
In mid-July, former Patriots player Rob Gronkowski made a trip to the hospital where John was receiving treatment, reports CBS Boston. Gronkowski visited John's hospital room, which was decorated with Patriots gear to sign autographs and take photos.
"There are not enough thank yous in the world I can give for seeing John smile today," said John's mother, Carrie Rivette. The visit was organized through the Make-A-Wish foundation.
