Friday, March 1, 2019
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net
Randolph and North Attleboro Police Departments Make 3-Year-Old Mikey Grover an Honorary Police Officer
NORTH ATTLEBORO — North Attleboro Police Chief John Reilly and Randolph Police Chief William Pace are pleased to announce that the two departments teamed up last night to make 3-year-old Mikey Grover an honorary police officer for his bravery and courage in dealing with congenital heart disease.
Over 80 people packed into the large conference room at the North Attleboro Police station Thursday night to see Mikey receive his honorary officer’s badge and some other gifts from the two police departments.
“Mikey was someone that we as police officers wanted on our team,” Randolph Police Officer Kevin Gilbert said during the event. “Becoming an honorary officer comes with great responsibility. It is expected that the honorary officer keeps up the fight 24/7, 365 and never gives up, and I’m confident Mikey will do that.”
Mikey’s mother Julie Grover pinned the honorary officer’s badge on his shirt while the rest of his family stood nearby. He was given framed patches from both departments and State Representative Elizabeth Poirier presented Mikey with citations from the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Massachusetts Senate.
The highlight for Mikey was the remote controlled police cruiser he received as a gift from the Randolph Police Department.
Mikey was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a birth defect that affects the flow of blood through the heart, due to sections of the heart being underdeveloped. He was also born with heterotaxy, a rare condition where his major organs were developed in abnormal places in his chest and abdomen.
As a result of his conditions, Mikey has spent much of his young life receiving treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital and has already undergone multiple open heart surgeries.
Through their time at the hospital, Julie Grover came up with the idea to make Mikey’s Brave Bags.
The gift bags are filled with items like toys, stuffed animals, coloring books, arts and crafts supplies, clothes, children’s books, snacks and more and are given to other families at Boston Children’s Hospital.
“We just donated 100 bags in February and we’re going to do more in the fall,” said Thomas Grover, Mikey’s father. “Thank you to everybody for donating all the goodies. We really appreciate that and I know the other families do too. Because it’s not just for the children, it’s for their siblings and their parents who have to stay there [at the hospital] as well and go through this nightmare that we do.”
Those who would like to donate items to Mikey’s Brave Bags can go to the Mikey Strong Facebook page and send a private message about donating for more details.
Following the ceremony, Mikey and some of his family and friends were given a tour of the North Attleboro Police station and Mikey made his first arrest, putting handcuffs on one of the officers and escorting him into a holding cell.
“This is what it’s all about,” Officer Gilbert said. “Mikey is such a brave kid and we’re honored to count him as one of our brothers now.”
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