A kind group of police officers made a family’s special wish come true over the weekend.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department Central Area gave 14-year-old Jazmine Delgado a quinceañera on Saturday, after learning her mother had terminal brain cancer, NBC Los Angeles reported. Local businesses and community organizations came together with the police force to throw a celebration that was truly a wish come true for both the teen and her mother.
"I never expected this to happen," Jazmine told the news outlet. "I’m happy to be here having my party and I invited a lot of friends."
The Central Area police division holds outreach programs at housing projects in the area, including the development where Jazmine lives with her mother, Beatriz Delgado. At an event in July, Jazmine told a group of officers that she had a disabling disease and that her mother had a terminal illness, but wished to give her daughter a quinceañera before she died, the LAPD Central Area wrote on its Facebook page.
“This touched the officers' souls and started them off on a mission,” the post read.
Sgt. Janet Kim was among the officers who heard Jazmine’s story and rallied her colleagues to organize a party to celebrate the teen, People.com reported. Originally planned for the fall, the party was moved to Saturday to ensure Beatriz was well enough to attend. The project began as a small affair to be held in the housing project’s rec room, but gained momentum and size as local businesses and organizations chipped in.
"The more people who found out about it, the more it grew," LAPD Community Relationship Division Captain Ruby Malachi told People.com. "We had business owners from all over that wanted to make this a huge success for this little girl.
A local clothing store provided Jazmine with a pink sparkly dress and shoes, Today.com reported, and a limo picked her up on Saturday night to bring her to the Bella Sala Banquet Hall in Los Angeles for a lively celebration. At the party, which was catered free of charge, guests enjoyed a cake donated by a local bakery, and Jazmine was serenaded by officers in uniform accompanied by a mariachi band. But the highlight of the evening was Jazmine and Beatriz’s mother-daughter dance.
“I could tell [Beatriz] was experiencing a little pain, but her smile was from ear to ear," Kim told People.com. "She did have to rest a lot, but she was like me – an emotional wreck the whole night. I think it was definitely a dream come true."
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