While their 17-month-old daughter bravely fights blood and bone marrow cancer in the hospital, her parents received financial support from Cops for Kids with Cancer, a Braintree-based charity, at New Bedford Police Headquarters Tuesday.
Mia Barralaga is currently undergoing intense treatment at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, enduring six 28-day cycles of chemotherapy as she battles acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Her mother, Keily Sanchez-Ortiz, and father Miguel Barralaga, received a check for $5,500 to help the family navigate the difficult road ahead.
While Mia could not be at the check presentation, she will be greeted with toys and other gifts from Cops for Kids with Cancer. The organization also provided backpacks filled with gifts for Mia’s sisters, ages 7 and 13.
New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira shared that the family’s struggle has been both a heavy emotional and financial burden. He added that the department plans to connect the family with additional services to help support them during this challenging time.
“It’s nice to see that a Central American family that is going through a lot of anxiety know that both the Cops for Kids with Cancer and the New Bedford Police Department support them and wish their daughter a speedy recovery,” he said.
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What is Cops for Kids with Cancer
Cops for Kids with Cancer is a charitable organization based in Braintree that focuses on raising funds to provide assistance to families of children fighting cancer and to improve their quality of life. Founded in 2002, it is run by police officers and aims to ease the financial burden on families by offering direct monetary help and connecting them with additional resources.
Tom Reed, a member of the Cops for Kids with Cancer board of directors, said it’s typical in these situations that one parent has to quit their job because the child needs to undergo extensive treatment.
He said that’s the case in about 95 percent of these instances, so the organization likes to step up and help with some of those expenses.
According to the Cops for Kids with Cancer website, “Our hope is to remove some financial burden so all their energies can go to helping their child beat cancer and live a healthy life.”
Chief Oliveira praised Cops for Kids with Cancer for the incredible work they do, highlighting their far-reaching impact and extensive support across a wide area.
“Every time they visit us here in New Bedford, it’s great to know that residents of our city benefit from their fundraising efforts,” he said.
There are no stipulations or restrictions on how the family can use the money.
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Applications are available to help
Reed said the family was made aware of Cops for Kids with Cancer through a social worker at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence. Applications for support are forwarded to the caretakers and families whose children are being treated with cancer to receive support.
After vetting the applications, he said they like to get the local police departments involved with the presentations to the families.
Cops for Kids has given more than $5.8 million to 1,097 families through the month of January.
Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @kgallreporter. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
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