Terminally Ill Mom: Dream For Teen Daughter Comes True, Thanks To LAPD Officers

A terminally ill mom’s dream of giving her 15-year-old daughter a proper Quinceañera came true, thanks to an unlikely group of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers.

Jazmine Delgado is like any other Hispanic teenager and had a dream of celebrating her 15th birthday by holding a Quinceañera. The only problem is that the girl’s mom is terminally ill and doesn’t have time and doctors told her she only had until May.

When the LAPD’s Central Area Gang Division visited a housing project in July to hold a movie night for the families that lived there, they met then-14-year-old Jazmine and her terminally ill mom, Beatriz Delgado, People reports.

Sergeant Janet Kim, who met the pair, found out — via a community volunteer — that Beatriz has brain cancer and her daughter suffers from cerebral palsy. Kim was moved by the story and wanted to do something to help.

“I knew I wanted to help, so several of my officers and I got some pizzas and brought them over to their house for dinner. As we got to know them, we found they are a wonderful, hardworking family that’s facing really heartbreaking circumstances.”

“Beatriz told me she’s fighting every day because she wants to see her daughter turn 15 in November. She said, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to make it, but I’m going to fight every day.'”

And so, on August 23 the terminally ill mom’s wish to see her daughter celebrate her Quinceañera, which included the fancy dress and party. Kim and a group of officers held a fundraiser to make the special day happen for the girl, according to Yahoo, and it grew into a community event.

“Six other officers and I planned to have a fundraiser so we could host a small party, but as news spread, more officers wanted to get involved. Soon we were asking local businesses and community organizations if they could help.”

For a month, Kim and her helpers worked hard to find a venue that was willing to donate the space for the party. They also secured a gown for Jazmine and her mom. An LAPD officer who is a photographer offered his services to take pictures and another officer who sings in a mariachi band also signed up to help.

The terminally ill mom’s dream became a reality, thanks to the generosity of this group of LAPD officers. Jazmine had about 200 guests celebrate her special day, 20 of which were police officers, Julie Sohn, officer in the LAPD’s community relationship division said.

Kim said helping the terminally ill mom’s wish become a reality was one of the best things they have done in their career. More unusual was that the gang division organized the party, something that is usually done by the community division.

[Image via LAPD]