Tiniest trooper vows to serve and protect

PALMER — All Joel Shelton wanted was to hang out with an Alaska State Trooper for an afternoon.

Joel has wanted to be a police officer as long as he’s known what one is. But the 6-year-old wanted to be a trooper ever since he met one during a family fishing trip to the Russian River last year.

“He got a plastic badge and a little trooper pen and highlighter, and that’s been his favorite couple little things for the last year,” said his father, Willy Shelton.

The last year has been a particularly difficult one for Joel and his family. Joel was diagnosed with leukemia in February, four days before his birthday. Willy remembers the day well. Their family doctor, who is also Joel’s grandpa, called him with the news.

“You got to go pick him up, it’s not good,” the doctor said.

Willy works with a former Wasilla police officer. When he heard about Joel’s cancer and about his dream of being a trooper, Willy’s co-worker suggested a meeting with Trooper Ron Hayes.

Hayes is a cancer survivor himself.

“It’s life-altering,” Hayes said in a story spokeswoman Beth Ipsen wrote recounting the meeting. “There are a lot of things that happen to you that people don’t realize.”

Hayes was happy to meet the boy, but as word spread more people joined in.

“We were a bit shocked when eight trooper vehicles showed up,” Willy said.

But that was nothing. The big deal was what the caravan of troopers brought with them — a miniature uniform complete with a Stetson hat, a tactical vest and the signature blue pants with yellow piping on the side. Joel became an honorary trooper and got to go out and see the trooper cars.

“He got to sit inside, got to sit in the driver’s seat. It was pretty stinking special,” Willy said.

Ipsen said that Lisa Streicher, wife of Palmer Trooper Jim Streicher, and Wasilla police Officer Kristi Muilenburg — a cancer survivor herself — teamed up to make Joel’s uniform. Hayes brought along a trooper flag, a recruitment poster and a T-shirt to give to Joel’s twin brother Nathan so he wouldn’t feel left out.

Willy said that leukemia takes a toll on his son. Each round of chemotherapy leaves him nauseous for anywhere from two to six days.

As he spoke, Joel was riding his bike around the family home while Willy barbequed. The last treatment was just two days ago, so this was one of the ones he bounced back quickly from.

Ipsen’s story says that Nathan has had to adjust to being in kindergarten without his brother this year.

Hayes said in the story that one thing cancer showed him is that his friends and neighbors were more than willing to support him.

“It really makes you put your life in perspective,” Hayes said.

That’s been true for the Sheltons as well. Joel’s mother, Adrianne, said in Ipsen’s story that packages arrive multiple times a week, sometimes from complete strangers. It’s a lesson in human kindness she’s glad her son has had a chance to learn, even if she wishes he’d been able to learn it in a different way.

Willy said the uniform has become his son’s favorite toy. He wears it four or five times a week.

“I get arrested almost every time. I just can’t seem to get away from him,” he said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.