“She has such an inspiring story, so much more than I can even describe,” Trooper Alina Spies told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this afternoon.
Giulianna Moore beamed through the day that trooper spent with her, her mother, Pasqualina, her two sisters — 10-year-old Angelina and 2½-year-old Isabella — and other family members.
“Her mother described it as love at first site,” Spies said.
“She’s an amazing and inspiring girl, and she has a wonderful family,” she said. “They give so much to Make a Wish and to other children in need. They’re beautiful inside and out.”
Giulianna’s grandfather had written to the State Police seeking support for Walk for Wishes, which last month raised $36,889 for the little angel. Spies brought the family plenty more.
Giulianna, who’s wheelchair-bound and requires a feeding tube and constant assistance, always wanted to meet a female trooper.
She got that, as well as a combat veteran.
Spies, who joined the State Police after leaving the military in 2008, gave Giulianna a letter from NJSP Supt. Col. Rick Fuentes, along with a colonel’s challenge coin, a State Police patch, an NJSP t-shirt, a teddy bear and items from the youngster’s favorite movie, “Frozen.”
“Lina has always told her girls they can be whatever they want,” Spies said. “She told me the visit made a difference in their lives, because I’m living proof.
“It made a difference to me, too,” she told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “It made my holiday season even greater. I walked away from there with an entirely new outlook on life.
“I aboslutely love being a state trooper,” Spies said. “Our job isn’t easy, but moments like that make the sacrefices worth it.
“I look forward to see them again — and I will. This wasn’t a onetime visit. Giulianna and her family are very special to me.”
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