BURLINGTON, Conn. — Dressed in his signature SWAT gear, Collin Genetti-Moore is an affable 2nd grader from Burlington who dreams about being a K9 police officer one day.
As he looks to be a crime fighter in the future, at present, the 8-year-old is battling a form of cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma. According to the Mayo Clinic, this form of cancer begins as a growth of cells in the bones and the soft tissue around bones often in the leg.
“It’s a daily battle,” Collin’s mother, Megan said.
The 8-year-old was first diagnosed in March 2020. His mother said they were in the clear for about a year but when he went in for the one-year scans in November, doctors detected another cancerous tumor.
During his constant fight against the disease, Megan Genetti had an idea to raise Collin’s spirits: just ask for some simple service patches.
“We were sitting in the (Connecticut Children’s) hospital while Collin was getting chemo and I thought wouldn’t it be cool to just get one patch from every state; a police patch, a fire patch from every state, and I put it on Facebook, and it just blew up -- it became so much more than I ever imagined,” she said.
Police and fire departments from across the globe have sent more than 1,000 patches to Collin, Megan Genetti said.
Fire helmets, bulletproof vests, and hundreds of T-shirts have since followed – so much so that Megan had to get a P.O. box to handle all the outpouring of support for her son.
“It’s really exciting to open up a box every single day and see patches and sometimes fire helmets, pins, everything,” Collin said.
The mother-son duo agree they do not need any more patches.
In addition to the patches, Collin has also received visits from local police departments – creating a special bond with New Britain Office Ray Ouelette and his K9, Meech. Ouelette’s wife is also one of Collin’s nurses at Connecticut Children’s.
“It’s awesome to be around Collin and how positive he is and how happy he is,” Oulette said, adding: “I’m glad he came into my life.”
The Genettis have also been teamed up with Make-A-Wish Connecticut, who granted Collin the wish of getting a pool in his backyard. The organization also helped to arrange for more police teams to visit Collin at his Burlington home.
“I think people found out about this strong, resilient young boy who needed people to show up for him at a really dark time and we heard from people across the country and across the world,” said Tara Navara, the chief development officer at Make-a-Wish Connecticut.
The months ahead for Collin will be challenging with more hospital stays and chemotherapy to come. His mother said she is thankful and grateful for the people who have supported her son.
“It says a lot that there are still good people in this world, and they do kind things and they do it for a little boy who lives in Burlington, Connecticut,” she said, holding back tears.
Collin had his own message: “Thank you for sending all the patches and pins and firefighter helmets. It means a lot to me.”
Due to the overwhelming response (and limited storage space in their house), the Genettis don’t want any more patches for Collin, they ask that anyone moved by his story donate to Make-A-Wish Connecticut. To learn more click here.
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