Journey of hope beckons

A Portland police officer is making a 600-mile trip to visit a young boy with cancer whose story has inspired him.

Sergeant Josh Stephenson of the Portland Police Department leaves Sunday morning to visit 9-year-old Alex Goodwin in Kansas City, Missouri. Goodwin is originally from Britain, but had to come to the United States for treatment for a rare form of bone cancer, Ewing’s sarcoma.

Stephenson first found out about Goodwin on his Twitter, @alexs_journey, where Goodwin and his family have documented his fight against cancer.

Goodwin’s father. Jeff, is a police officer for the Warwickshire Police Department in England, and Stephenson views him and Alex as part of an extended law enforcement family.

“I started following him, and it became one of those things when you listen to him talk, he’s just so positive on life, it melted my heart a little bit,” Stephenson said. “It just picks me up, even on a bad day. If I can make a difference for him while he’s here in the U.S., it’s totally worth it.”

Stephenson is making the trip because he hopes to tell Alex how much of an inspiration he is, and to help him and his family know they have support from around the world. He plans to leave Sunday, spend Monday with Alex and his family and return to Portland Monday night.

“I just want to let him know that law enforcement everywhere is with him,” Stephenson said. “If a person like that can take that energy and apply it to society as a whole, I think it would make everyone’s life a little better.”