A four-year-old boy from Northern Ireland became a Boston Police officer for one day.

That is, an honorary member.

Oisín Traynor has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and was in the United States for a three-week treatment session, when the little boy got a chance to meet with his heroes: Boston police officers. 

The event, organized by a family friend, was a bright spot for a family that had spent a good portion of the youngster’s life dealing with medical issues.

Oisín was born 25 weeks premature and weighed only 950g, after his mother, Seanin, developed sepsis, a life-threatening complication that stems from an infection.

The little boy spent the first six months in the hospital, fighting for his life. Since then, he has been in and out of the hospital ever since.

Oisín was given his very own police patch and posed for photos with officer Edwin DeJesus. Photo courtesy of Seanin Traynor

He has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, among other health conditions, that affect his muscle control, balance and coordination.

“He shouldn’t be here, we were told multiple times to say our goodbyes to him as a baby and that he wasn’t going to make it, Seanin said.

But he is here and he’s our little miracle.”

Oisín was in Boston receiving intensive physiotherapy, occupational therapy and feeding therapy.

“We were there for a three-week program and you’re obviously there for the treatment so practically all of your time is spent in the center,” his mom said.

“You don’t have time to sightsee or really get to see anything at all of the city, so (meeting the officers) was one of the few things we got to do together as a family.

Oisín and his two-year-old sister, Naoise, posed for photographs, listened to the siren on the squad car, and bombarded the officers with curious questions about their jobs.

Officer Christine Melia Marini pictured meeting Oisín in Boston. Photo courtesy of Seanin Traynor

The pair were initially only going to meet two officers, but more and more kept showing up to meet and chat with Oisín.

“A lot of the officers had Irish connections, being from Boston, so they were very interested in finding out where we were from and couldn’t be more generous with their time,” his mom said.

Officer Christine Melia Marini said that “meeting the officers was meant as a surprise to lift Oisín’s spirits, but the reality is, he lifted ours”.

“It was such a pleasure for us to meet him and his family and seeing his smile when we sounded the siren on the cruiser was icing on the cake,” she said.

“He is a strong boy and hearing his family talk about how much progress he makes when he comes to Boston for medical care reinforced how fortunate we are to live here,” Marini said.

We hope to see more of Oisín when he returns.”

Seanin said that her son wouldn’t ever forget his time with the officers.

“His face just lit up when he saw the officers come out and meet him, they were so lovely and treated him with such kindness,” she said. “He hasn’t stopped smiling since.”

Watch below for a look at Oisín’s journey and why the little boy had been traveling to the United States.

Sources: BBC | Irish Star