In a unique request to fulfill her bucket list, Alyssa Elkins received training from Newark police officials, and got the opportunity to zap Sgt. Doug Bline and her uncle, Josh Barry.
The 16-year-old’s leukemia condition returned earlier in January, and after making the decision to not undergo further treatment, she started creating a bucket list which included shooting someone with a stun gun. This desire came after remembering a video where her uncle Barry, a state trooper, was stunned during his training.
On Sunday (Jan. 29), the teen was able to knock off a task from her bucket list after receiving training from the Newark Police Department. Sgt. Doug Bline was the first amongst police department employees to volunteer as the target, and he was followed by Barry.
The teen told WCMH-TV, “I’m very grateful that people would put themselves out there to allow me to do that to them.” Her uncle had no problem getting stunned, telling the Columbus Dispatch, “I’ll do anything for my niece.”
Amongst the crowd of supporters in the police department were Alyssa’s parents who have been on a mission to check things off of their daughter’s bucket list in order to focus on something other than her illness. The next task on the list is a family trip to Disney World, which they’ll surely enjoy in February.