Massachusetts 8-Year-Old Receives Hundreds of Police Patches During Cancer Fight

When a child faces the fight of their life, it's amazing how quickly strangers can become family. For Wareham's Mia Johnson, that love has come in the form of police patches from around the world.

Just weeks after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Mia has already received well over 100 police patches from departments across Massachusetts and beyond. What began as a small idea has quickly grown into a heartfelt movement known as Mia's Patch Project, with patches arriving daily from across the country and even overseas.

Mia, who will enter third grade at Wareham Elementary School this fall, has dreamed of becoming a police officer since she was just four years old. This has inspired friends, family and even strangers to start a patch collection that reminds her she's never fighting alone.

A Mother's Strength During the Hardest Days

"It's been hard as a mom," Brianna Johnson said. "Finding out that your child is sick like this, you really have to put on a strong face for her." Mia was diagnosed on June 10 and has remained hospitalized while undergoing her first round of chemotherapy.

Wareham 8-Year-Old Receives Hundreds of Police Patches During Cancer Fight

Since then, she has endured procedures including a PICC line, an NG tube, bone marrow biopsies and lumbar punctures, despite never having needed so much as routine bloodwork before this summer. "The strength that she has has blown me away," Johnson said. "You're always told how resilient kids are, but it doesn't really resonate until you actually witness it."

From Purple Day to a Nationwide Project

The inspiration behind Mia's Patch Project came after Wareham Elementary and the Wareham Police Department organized a special day in Mia's honor. Students and staff wore purple, the school was decorated with messages of encouragement and officers stopped by to surprise the young girl who hopes to someday wear a badge herself. Soon afterward, family friend Morgan Wahlstrom offered to coordinate a larger effort by asking police departments to mail Mia one of their department patches. The response has been overwhelming.

"We've gotten patches from the Cape, the South Shore, the North Shore, New Hampshire, Maine, Texas and Homeland Security," Johnson said. "We've even been told we have some coming from England, and that the Queen's Guard has heard about Mia."

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In just two weeks, the project has already surpassed 100 patches, with another wave expected to arrive soon. "It just shows how strong a community can become," Johnson said. "When someone is in need, it's amazing how far those branches can reach."

"It Makes Me 100 Percent Happy"

Despite everything she's facing, Mia's smile shines brightest when talking about the growing patch collection. I asked how receiving the patches makes her feel, her answer couldn't have been simpler. "It makes me 100 percent happy," Mia said.

Wareham 8-Year-Old Receives Hundreds of Police Patches During Cancer Fight

When asked if the patches help her during her battle with leukemia, she smiled and answered, "Yeah." Like many children her age, Mia still has one big wish. She hopes to ride in a real police cruiser someday, a dream that may soon become reality as local officers work to make it happen while she's home between treatments.

How You Can Help

Anyone wishing to send a police patch to Mia can mail it to:

Morgan Wahlstrom
1 Sprinkler Lane
Wareham, MA 02571

Local pickup arrangements can also be made. Every patch reminds Brianna and her daughter that an entire community, and now people from around the world, is standing beside her, cheering her on as she continues her courageous fight against leukemia.