Statue of 7-year-old boy who inspired Make-A-Wish foundation stolen from Phoenix headquarters

The Make-A-Wish Foundation says one of its most treasured items, a bronze statue of a little boy that inspired the group’s creation, was stolen in Phoenix, Arizona.

The statue of seven-year-old Christopher James Greicius, installed in 2018, was taken around 10 p.m. on January 3. Security cameras captured two people jumping out of a car and leading it out of the Make-A-Wish Foundation headquarters in Phoenix. KSAZ-TV reported.

Greicius was diagnosed with leukemia in 1979 at the age of seven and dreamed of becoming a police officer. While hospitalized, and with the understanding that he would not live much longer, he spoke to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, who granted his wish by providing him with a helicopter ride and a uniform.

The department even swore the young man in as the state’s first and only honorary DPS officer two days before his death.

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Christopher James Greicius statue stolen from Make-A-Wish Foundation headquarters in Phoenix
(Make-A-Wish Foundation)

The moving story was the impetus for six people to form the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which has grown to more than 52 chapters across the country, along with 30 international affiliates.

“A plea to anyone who knows anything, heard anything or saw anything, please contact your police department. Let us know where the statue is, so we can get it back,” Linda Pauling, Christopher’s mother, told the public. about the missing statue.

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Christopher James Greicius after being named an honorary Arizona DPS officer
(Make-A-Wish Foundation)

“You know, the first thing that came to mind was, ‘My God, when I buried him the first time, it’s almost like the second time he left,'” Pauling said.

Pauling said he kisses the statue and leaves a red rose every time he visits the venue and placed a dozen roses on the empty spot when he visited on Jan. 5.

“It’s terribly sad and I feel very sorry for all the staff and all the people the statue represents,” said Jamie Sandys, spokesperson for Make-A-Wish.

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