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Wayne Police give Taft-Galloway fifth grader a birthday wish

Wayne resident Trisha Custer round of radiation therapy. “In May
awoke the morning of Thursday, she did radiation everyday—Monday
September 22, 2022, with a secret. through Friday—every day for four
It was her daughter Abbigail’s weeks,” recalled Custer. “She basi-
eleventh birthday, and the Wayne Po- cally missed the whole last month of
lice Department was mere moments school.”
away from making one of Abbi’s Her birthday, however, was a
biggest dreams come true. good day for Abbi, who counts play-
Nowadays, it is not uncommon ing with slime, eating Flamin’ Hot
for a video game or an electronic de- Cheetos, and binge-watching the tel-
vice to top a youngster’s list for most evision series Gilmore Girls as a few
requested birthday gift. But Abbi, of her favorite things.
who attends Taft-Galloway Elemen- When asked where and how her
tary in Wayne, was after something daughter finds the strength to perse-
entirely different. She wanted a vere, Custer said she didn’t have the
unique—and very specific—experi- answer.
ence. “I would love to know,” she said.
And, frankly, after everything “She never really let any of this [get
Abbi had been through in the past her down]. She’d be miserable, but
year, she rightfully deserved it: In she’s worried about everyone else.
early January, Abbi was diagnosed She even shaved her own head be-
with stage 2 rhabdomyosarcoma cause she didn’t want to lose her
(RMS), a rare form of cancer that hair. She has been one step ahead of
forms in soft tissue, specifically
skeletal muscle tissue. According to Sergeant Talmadge and Abbi in front of Taft-Galloway Elemetary School. See Birthday, page 19
Mayo Clinic, RMS can occur at any driveway on that crisp, autumn
age, but it most often affects chil- morning. And with sirens blaring
dren. and the lightbar flashing, Abbi was
“Abbi has been telling me for a delivered to her school’s main en-
few years now that she wants to be a trance as staff, students, and family
cop,” said Custer, 31. “And a couple members applauded her arrival.
months ago, I started asking her “I was shocked,” exclaimed Abbi,
what she wanted for her birthday looking back on her completely
and if there was anything big she unanticipated school drop-off. After
wanted to do, and she said that the looking around inside the car, it hit
only thing she truly wanted was to her. “Like…I’m in a cop car! I can’t
get a tour of a police station.” explain it. It was really exciting.”
The revelation sounded simple It was a great day for Abbi all
enough to Custer. “I thought that was around, but it arrived on the heels of
the most random thing a child could some not-so-great ones.
ask for her birthday…but, okay,” In late December 2021, a few
Custer explained. days after Christmas, to be exact,
Over the summer, Custer put feel- Abbi went in for what was supposed
ers out on the school’s Facebook to be a relatively routine surgery—
page and inquired whether anyone she had her tonsils and adenoids re-
could help or if they knew any police moved, and they were biopsied
officers that could better direct her. afterward.
What happened next really set the “The doctors recommended re-
wheels in motion: Taft-Galloway’s moval because her adenoids were
secretary, Kitty Monit, reached out to causing sleep apnea, but we didn’t
Wayne Mayor John Rhaesa, who know it was cancer,” said Custer. “We
then brought the request to the thought she was going in to have this
Wayne Police Department. surgery during Christmas break, she
Meanwhile, Abbi was none the would miss two or three days of
wiser. Although it was her birthday, school, and then she’d be back. But
it was still a school day, so Abbi as- instead of going back to school, we
sumed it would begin like all others. started going to oncology.”
That was, until Sergeant Tal- Nine months of chemotherapy fol-
madge’s squad car arrived in Abbi’s lowed. There was also a lengthy
8 · October 2022 · The Wayne Dispatch