April 28--The Chicago police will have two new young recruits Tuesday.
Twelve-year-old Emily Beazley, who is battling cancer, and her younger sister, Olivia, will be named honorary officers during a ceremony at police headquarters Tuesday.
Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy will do the honors at noon in the main lobby of the headquarters at 3510 S. Michigan Ave., according to a statement. Their father, Ed Beazley, is a Chicago police detective.
Emily Beazley was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma when she was 8. She went into remission, but the aggressive form of cancer returned. Her family recently decided to stop chemotherapy once doctors said the treatments wouldn't help.
On Friday, a portion of South Homan Avenue where the family lives in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood was renamed "Honorary Emily Beazley Avenue."
Her family and friends, who are credited with putting up a swath of purple and green in a show of support, organized a dance party/video appeal asking singer Tayor Swift to meet Emily.
The supporters, who call themselves Emily's Entourage, had been reaching out to Swift via social media for more than a week. They're hoping the country/pop phenom will see the video and visit Emily or contact her via FaceTime, said Rachel Micklas, a manager at 115 Bourbon Street, where the video was made.
Emily's father said it has been hard on him, his wife Nadia and their younger daughter to watch Emily deal with an "incredibly aggressive" form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Earlier this month, doctors canceled further treatment for Emily after chemotherapy failed to stop the cancer from spreading.
"It's been sinking in, the reality of it," her father said. "She's been getting weaker as the days go on, especially the last few days. She's quieter. Maybe it's the pain medicine. She's overwhelmed by this (ceremony). She was really looking forward to it. We never lose hope. We always pray for a miracle. Every night we thank God for the four of us being together."
Nadia Beazley added, "Science has failed her. She is willing to fight, and capable of fighting, but there is nothing more they can give her."
The Southtown Star contributed.
