Popp, Karson give back to cancer patient

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WILMINGTON — Some four-legged friends came out to surprise and give support to a five-year-old boy.

Stephen Hohauser and his family found 15 to 20 K9 officers and their police officer-handlers greeting him when they arrived in West Chester from Michigan on Tuesday.

Stephen came down to get treatment at Children’s Hospital for his stage 4 neuroblastoma — tumors in his head and chest. He’ll be in treatment for over a month.

The event was organized by Wilmington Police Department Officer Jerry Popp — and of course his K9, Karson.

“I was notified about Stephen by a family friend,” said Popp. “I asked her to keep me posted and let me know what his schedule was and when he was going to be moving and such.”

Eventually, he heard they were going to be coming in June and Popp started chatting with Stephen’s mother, Mariana, about what was going on. At first, Stephen was just going to meet Karson, but word started to spread.

“I started talking with some people who I knew in K9 and I thought, ‘Why don’t we go down as a group?’” he said.

He then proposed a challenge to other K9 officers on Facebook to see how many officers would show up when Stephen arrived. With around 348 shares on Facebook, he cites this as snowballing the group size.

“I was never designated to be some kind of chairman of the board to organize this event. I just happened to be the guy in contact with the family,” he said.

After some setbacks due to health concerns, Stephen finally started his journey to Ohio.

Upon arriving at the Residence Inn in West Chester, the five-year-old and his parents were greeted by the four-legged officers at the hotel’s courtyard.

“The parents were very grateful,” Popp said. “It was overwhelming to see these officers taking time out of their personal or work time to come down there and show support.”

Popp said he understands what support like this means, referring back to when Karson went missing in 2014.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to he’s a five-year-old boy who happens to love K9 dogs. We went down there to show support to him,” he said. “They’re doing everything they can to beat this. It’s financially battling to (the family). Any support they can get would be much appreciated.”

Popp said if anyone wishes to show support to Stephen Hohauser, they can contact the Residence Inn in West Chester at 513-341-4040 to find out how.

http://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2017/06/web1_K9-and-Stephen.jpgCourtesy Photo

By John Hamilton

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Reach John Hamilton at 937-382-2574

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