16-year-old Alyssa Elkins of Newark, Ohio has terminal leukemia. She was given one to six months to live. The Newark Police Department did something extraordinary to fulfill one of Elkins’ bucket list items: tasering someone.
The bucket list item came to mind when she saw a video of her uncle, a State Highway Patrol trooper, being tased.
This is Elkins second round of leukemia treatment. Her first round occurred in 2015. When she received word last week that it returned, she declined undergoing a second round of treatment. Instead, she decided to spend the remainder of her time with her family.
Elkins and her eight siblings began a bucket list after receiving the news. She remembered her uncle’s taser video and added that to her bucket list.
When Newark Police Chief Barry Connell told his force about Alyssa’s wish, six officers and two civilian employees volunteered to be the be tased.
“It’s painful, but given her situation, it’s a no-brainer,” Sgt. Doug Bline, the taser volunteer, said. “If I were her parent in this situation, I’d be happy to know that someone was willing to do this for her.”
“I don’t like inflicting pain on people,” Elkins said. “I didn’t know it was going to be that painful really.”
“After all the bad things my brothers and I see and deal with in on a daily basis, it is a gift from God to be able to do something so good and important for a complete stranger in need,” Sgt. Al Shaffer wrote in a Facebook post.
Here’s how her wish came true:
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