7-year-old cancer patient and honorary Freeport officer Abigail laid to rest
FREEPORT, Texas (KTRK) -- A community, including members of law enforcement, said farewell to Abigail Arias, the 7-year-old who stole everyone's hearts with her determination to become a police officer.
Since Abigail was an honorary Freeport officer known to the community as Officer Arias 758, she received an escort to her funeral service, with some drivers pulling over to watch her hearse pass by.
The first responders' vehicles left Clute at 7 a.m., leading the way for the 7-year-old who passed away due to cancer to Grace Church Houston.
Classes at Angleton ISD were also canceled on Tuesday, giving Abigail's teachers and friends a chance to say goodbye. One classmate recalls Abigail's "soul was pure life."
Little Abigail's dreams of becoming an officer quickly spread during her brave fight against cancer.
Abigail was first diagnosed with stage 4 Wilms' tumor in February 2017. She began treatment at Texas Children's Hospital, where she went through 90 rounds of chemotherapy, in addition to eight consecutive days of radiation and surgery to remove the tumor.
But the cancer returned in April 2018.
The rare kidney cancer in children was back and this time doctors told the family there was no cure.
In December 2018, the Arias family met Freeport Police Chief Ray Garivey and they bonded.
"They are a lot stronger than I am," the chief said, in tears.
Wanting to fulfill her wish, he reached out to an organization in Pearland called Cop Stop and asked for a custom Freeport police uniform made especially for Abigail.
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Abigail was sworn in on Feb. 7, surrounded by loved ones and officers from several different agencies around Texas.
The honorary officer put up a fight and lived her life to the fullest during her battle, but tragedy struck on October 2019, when the family began asking for prayers as doctors recommended hospice care. She died a few weeks later on Nov. 5.
SEE MORE: Officer Abigail: 6-year-old becomes honorary police officer
During her funeral, her brothers and sisters in blue gathered to see her home. Many in attendance said her legacy will live past today, as she inspired grown-ups to create the Officer 758's Cancer Fight Fund - a charity that shares her badge number and now comforts children battling cancer.
"We started with what we are calling Abigail's Reach, because she has reached so many people across the world, and we are going to provide experiences for other children going through the cancer journey," Page Friudenberg said.
RELATED: Officer Abigail's family starts non-profit to help children with cancer
