North Texas 7-Year-Old Cancer Fighter's Love For Police Is Reciprocated
LAKE DALLAS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A Christmas prayer was answered for a North Texas family.
Their 7-year-old daughter, Danielle Gonzalez, who is battling Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, is home after she got a super sendoff from the hospital by area police that brought an entire community together.
Danielle spent 108 days in Medical City Dallas Children's Hospital and she's happy to be out and back home with her family.
For the Gonzalez family, the best thing about this Christmas is that they're all together, but for Danielle, the presents have been pretty nice, too, along with a huge surprise sendoff from the hospital last Friday.
There was a limousine, with candy inside the limousine and toys for her and her friends.
It all began when her grandmother called Lake Dallas Police, as Danielle loves the police.
What started out as a small escort home, ended up becoming a huge event.
"We don't get a whole lot in this line of work and for a child to say she loves the police and would love to have an escort, we're going to do what we have to and we're going to give her that escort, said Lake Dallas Police Lt. Alan Sawyer.
As soon as Lt. Sawyer started telling his officers about Danielle and her story, they all started pitching in, buying gifts and toys and getting donations from area businesses as well.
He also called other police departments. Dallas, Carrollton, Lewisville, Corinth and Hickory Creek Police Departments were all involved in the escort.
Then on Monday, the Lake Dallas Police Department brought Christmas presents over to her home.
Danielle still has another surgery coming up in January, but her family is celebrating one of the best words they could have heard this holiday season: remission.
