"You have to meet her to really understand what a great and inspiring young lady she is," said Chief Ray Garivey.
A Texas police chief made good on his promise to get ink as a tribute to a 6-year-old honorary police officer.
Chief Ray Garivey’s newest tattoo is of Officer Abigail Arias' first name, with her badge number, 758. And the 7 in 758 is backward — because it's supposed to be. It's in Abigail's handwriting.
Abigail is living with Wilms tumor — a rare form of terminal lung cancer in children. Abigail refers to the disease as "the bad guys inside her." She'd fought them before, but they recently returned, spreading to both of her lungs.
"You're gonna go have a scan done. And I believe that you are gonna be just fine. I believe in miracles," Garivey said to Abigail in a video posted on Facebook.
When Garivey caught wind of Abigail's story, he also learned she wants to be a police officer when she grows up.
So moved by Abigail's resilience, he swore her in as an honorary officer. She is now the tiniest member of the Freeport Police Department: Officer No. 758.
Her custom uniform is the real deal, complete with a small utility belt. It was donated by Cop Stop, which makes uniforms for law enforcement. Abigail told CNN the uniform “keeps me brave.”
And now Garivey is her sidekick. The pair can usually be spotted together, with Abigail clad in her signature cowboy boots.
You could say she's the most popular member of the police force, making appearances at softball games and restaurants.
Abigail has even rubbed elbows with Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.
In her spare time, she has also snagged another job as an honorary Texas Ranger.
No doubt with the whole community rallying behind her, Officer Arias is sure to continue to soar.
Abigail's family has started a GoFundMe page to help with her medical bills. By Monday evening, the page had raised more than $18,000 of its $50,000 goal.
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