Police in central Ohio helped a teenage leukemia patient cross off a bucket-list item that was seriously shocking: She wanted to use a stun gun on someone.
Sixteen-year-old Alyssa Elkins got to do that Sunday. After a bit of training from Newark police, she zapped Sgt. Doug Bline — who'd been first among the police department employees who volunteered for the task — as a crowd of supporters watched. Bline winced and fell onto a mat, guided by spotters.
"It is unpleasant to say the least, but if for five seconds if it makes somebody's kind of dream come true, especially in her situation, I think it was well worth it," Bline said.
Alyssa described the experience as "awesome."
"I'm very grateful that people would put themselves out there to allow me to do that to them," she told WCMH-TV.
She had made her bucket list earlier in January, after her leukemia returned and she decided not to undergo further treatment, meaning she'd likely have just a few months to live. She added the stun-gun item to the list half-jokingly after recalling video of her uncle, Josh Barry, a state trooper, being hit with a Taser during his training, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
It happened to Barry again Sunday, as he gave Alyssa a second chance to use the stun gun.
"I'll do anything for my niece," he told the Dispatch.
Alyssa's parents say working to check things off of her bucket list helps turn the focus to things other than her illness. One of the items up next is a planned family trip to Disney World in February.
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