Illinois community celebrates as 2nd-grader returns home cancer-free
'Army of People' show up to celebrate homecoming of second-grader who beat cancer
Police and neighbors in Chatham, Illinois, celebrated a local second-grader returning home cancer-free after a successful surgery, as seen in a heartwarming video from Saturday, April 27. (Credit: Chatham IL Police Department via Storyful)
CHATHAM, Ill. - An Illinois community fully supported and showed up to celebrate a local second-grader who returned home cancer-free after a successful surgery.
Video of the heartwarming moment showed police and neighbors in Chatham coming out for the celebration on Saturday.
Judah Collins had been undergoing chemotherapy since August of last year. He also relapsed last November, leaving his family "devastated," according to the Chatham Police Department.
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"This time, he needed a bone marrow transplant. On January 17, 2024, they transplanted his mother’s bone marrow into his little body. The transplant was successful!" the department wrote on its Facebook page.
Video showed police patrol cars lined up and flashing their lights while neighbors cheered, clapped and waved flags as Judah and his family returned home.
"When Judah made it home today, he had an army of people there to welcome him and his family home…What an incredible story of resilience, never giving up, and the true power of a mother’s love," Chatham Police said.
Storyful contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.