104th Precinct Commanding Officer Victoria Perry and other members of the precinct joined 6-year-old blood cancer survivor King Singh on Jan. 24 to ring the bell marking the end of his chemotherapy.
In June 2016, at 2 1/2 years old, Singh was diagnosed with a rare combination of a blood cancer and a separate genetic blood disorder which complicated his chemotherapy treatment.
After spending over two years battling the disease, and undergoing chemotherapy daily, Singh took his last chemo treatment on Oct. 21, 2019. Along the way, he became an advocate for childhood and blood cancer awareness.
He also became an honorary police officer. Singh participated in the NYPD Hope program, which welcomes seriously ill children into the NYPD community.
When Perry met Singh doing a breast cancer walk, she was so inspired by his story that she stayed in touch. At last week’s celebration, Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee presented Singh with a proclamation declaring Jan. 24, 2020, to be King Singh Day across the borough.
Though his treatment is over, the effects remain. As a result of chemo, Singh suffered nerve damage, brain swelling and white brain matter loss from the toxicity of the treatment.
As part of his advocacy, Singh participates several organizations, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to help raise money for cancer research.
King’s mother, Sameeza Singh, said that while the feeling of watching her son ring the bell was “indescribable” she also knew that it wasn’t the end of his fight, which includes the side effects of the treatment and his education deficits.
“The anxiety of a parent never goes away. You ring the bell and it’s the end of treatment, but it’s technically not. It’s the sign of a new journey now with dealing with all the side effects,” Sameeza said.
Sameeza added that her son will continue to work with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, if not to find a cure for cancer, then to find a less toxic treatment. He has helped them raise $3 million so far to contribute to organization’s goal of making $50 million by the end of the year.
