The NYPD partnered with the Candlelighters charity on Sunday at the Central Park Precinct‘s stationhouse to provide families living with childhood cancer with a joyous holiday experience.
As snow fell and lay on the ground in Central Park, the stationhouse inside had been transformed into a holiday wonderland with superhero characters like Spider-Man greeting children, along with NYPD officers and the K-9 unit. Children met the dogs and were even given the opportunity to control police tech.
These families did not just arrive locally from the Big Apple, but also from all around the world. Dima Negodiuk’s wife, Ira, fled Ukraine during the ongoing war with Russia after their son Mark was diagnosed with brain cancer in order to get him help.
“We drove a car, we saw tanks. We saw military guys. And when you don’t know if it’s your guys or it’s the Russian enemy. And also, we crossed the border, we came to Poland, and another organization helped us with tickets. And we came here. We started to live in Ronald McDonald House,” Dima Negodiuk recalled. “It’s really amazing so far.”
The Negodiuk family gave their gratitude to Barbara Zobian of the Candlelighters for helping ensure their child received treatment. Attending the event on Dec. 14, Zobian said she believed it was important to hold the celebration to ensure that the kids were able to enjoy childhood activities despite being forced to grow up fast due to living with serious illnesses.
“Kids are heroes when they shouldn’t be. They should just be kids,” Zobian said. “When kids can go to school, they are happiest. There’s no complaining. They’re excited to go. They come here in the snow. It’s cold. Other kids wouldn’t want to get up. It’s cold. They’re joyful. They are just kids, happy and making memories. I love my job, what I do, but it’s still kids with cancer. We need a lot more funding for research to find a cure.”
The event culminated with the arrival of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, who were escorted by the NYPD Highway Patrol. The children were so excited to see the jolly elf that they rushed into their arms, offered them their wish list for the holiday, and even offered them candy.
“We’re not just here to celebrate joy. We’re here for hope. We’re here for the opportunity for kids to see tomorrow and have Christmas every single year,” Detective Luis Moreira said. “It feels good to not just be able to touch the hearts of New Yorkers, but people all around the world. It really means something to me when someone from Ukraine comes up to me and says, ‘thank you,’ And the only reason why they’re thanking me is for the fact that we were able to bring joy to the families.”
