AURORA – He may only be 8 years old, but Travis Mickelsen is now the newest and youngest member of the Aurora Police Department.

8-year-old accepts position of honorary officer

The department, along with the Cops Fighting Cancer organization, made Mickelsen’s dream come true on Friday.

Mickelsen says he has wanted to be a police officer as long as he can remember.

“I could save the world, and there will be no more mean people, and no more people who steal stuff,” he said.

Mickelsen and his family found out in December that he has a brain tumor and has been battling it since then.

“He’s had a long fight and he still has a long way to go,” said Travis’ dad, Brett Mickelsen.

Officer James Seneca founded Cops Fighting Cancer and works for the Aurora Police Department.

“It’s like my son being involved in this, with me having cancer 20 years ago and with Travis being diagnosed with cancer last year it makes it even more special for the organization because we can fulfill a wish for Travis,” said Seneca.

Mickelsen received a badge and police hat for being an honorary officer, and his family also got a lot larger.

“It’s going to be the whole police department checking up on Travis since he’s part of the family now,” smiled Seneca.

For more information on the program, you can visitwww.copsfightingcancer.org.

(Copyright KUSA*TV. All rights reserved.)

By ADAM GOLDSTEIN
The Aurora Sentinel

Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 10:54 PM MST

“It’s a very strong community here,” Geraghty said.

Emily, who sported a shy smile as her costumed visitor waved from the hallway, soon warmed up to the would-be reindeer. As “Rudolph” turned to head to another room, Emily made a rapid request to her mother.

“I want him to come back,” Emily said softly.

Area law enforcement officers will participate in the fifth annual “Cops Fighting Cancer” visit to Children’s Hospital at 10:30 a.m. today.

The organization offers emotional and financial support to cancer victims and their families.

Aurora Officer James Seneca, himself an 18-year cancer survivor who leads the organization, said the special mission for the organization, mostly comprised of officers who are cancer survivors, is to pass along a message of hope.

Law enforcement from the Adams and Jefferson counties sheriff’s offices along with the Parker Police, are participating. A group of about 20 men and women will take time to congratulate these kids on their courage and perseverance. They also will be delivering gift bags to the many kids who may spend their holidays in the hospital.



Law enforcement officials teamed up with Children’s Hospital today to bring Easter young cancer patients.

For the sixth year in a row, Cops Fighting Cancer hosted a celebration that brought the Easter bunny and gift bags.

Aurora Police Officer James Seneca founded the nonprofit group to help cancer patients and their families. So far, CFC has raised over $350,000 and visited with over 2,300 kids.

Seneca is a leukemia survivor himself and created the group in 2002.

“If a little emotional support helps someone through another session of painful chemotherapy,” Seneca has said of his role, “then I feel that I’m doing my job.”

Easter 2003– Zaria Carr, 7, who is a cancer patient on the bone marrow transplant section of the oncology floor at the Children’s Hospital greets the Easter Bunny Wednesday afternoon. Law enforcement officers from several jurisdictions joined the Easter Bunny, volunteer Darren Bost, as he visits with dozens of young cancer patients to bring them encouragement, well wishes and holiday gift bags. The law enforcement officers with the Cops Fighting Cancer, a non-profit group who’s focus is helping cancer patients and families, visited The Children’s Hospital Wednesday morning.

AURORA – Santa’s elves come in many shapes and sizes and on Wednesday they came in the form of police officers.

Cops fighting Cancer is a program started 7 years ago by Aurora Police Officer James Seneca. Seneca is a 22 year cancer survivor; he was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 26, just two weeks into his police academy training.

On Wednesday morning, police from the city of Aurora, Adams County Sheriff’s Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department brought toys to children battling cancer. The Children’s Hospital treats patients from as young as infants to young adults.

When Seneca first brought up the idea to his coworkers years ago, he says they responded well to the idea.

“It’s very humbling for them,” Seneca said. “It’s a great experience for us. It puts things into perspective. That’s part of our job, a way to give back to the community and make a child smile.”

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

AURORA | A smile crept over James Seneca as he peered into a hospital room at The Children’s Hospital on Dec. 16. An oversized reindeer was coming to greet the patient he was visiting.

Seneca, an Aurora police officer, watched as the Rudolph look-alike made exaggerated gestures for Emily, 3, who had been at the hospital for cancer treatment since before Thanksgiving. As Emily and her mother, Tara Geraghty, accepted a stuffed animal as a gift and spoke to the costumed visitor in the hallway from the hospital bed, Seneca offered brief puns and encouraging words.

The visit had a special significance for the Aurora police officer. For eight years, Seneca has organized the Cops Fighting Cancer annual toy distribution event at Children’s. The annual drive has a special significance for Seneca, the founder and president of CFC who has been an Aurora police officer for 15 years.

“It’s been a great experience, a very rewarding experience for me. I’m a cancer survivor — I had leukemia 22 years ago,” Seneca said. “Obviously, that experience has put things in perspective. That’s why I do what I do.”

Wednesday’s event saw participation from fellow Aurora Police Department officials, as well as officers from the Adams and Douglas counties sheriff’s departments, all of whom helped to distribute sacks of toys and gifts donated by the local chapter of the Kiwanis Club, local middle schools and other community organizations.

During the past eight years, the CFC has raised more than $650,000 for cancer patients and has provided visits for more than 4,500 hospitalized children.

“It’s grown to be such a great tradition,” Seneca said. “It’s gotten bigger and better, and it will get bigger and better next year … Obviously it humbles you, and it just keeps things in perspective. When you think you have problems in life, you really don’t. There’s nothing worse than seeing a sick child.”

For parents like Geraghty, such visits help ease the strain of a long hospital stay and all its stresses. What’s more, Geraghty said, it helps connect patients with families who have gone through similar experiences.

“It’s a very strong community here,” Geraghty said.

Emily, who sported a shy smile as her costumed visitor waved from the hallway, soon warmed up to the would-be reindeer. As “Rudolph” turned to head to another room, Emily made a rapid request to her mother.

“I want him to come back,” Emily said softly.

By ADAM GOLDSTEIN
The Aurora Sentinel