Take The Ring Of Fire Challenge To Help A Teen Battle Cancer... Again
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- The Aurora Police Department has created a challenge to support one of their own, the daughter of an officer fighting cancer, to raise money and help her laugh during treatment by having participants eat a habanero pepper or eat three donuts in one minute.
"We were just trying to be creative in a way to support the family," said Aurora Police Officer Thomas Faustin.
The Ring of Fire Challenge encourages anyone willing to take it on to record themselves sending a message to Tayler Ellison, 13, as she continues her treatment. They share words of encouragement, challenge five other people, and then eat either the pepper or the donuts.
"The videos have been funny, the ones of people eating peppers are little more funny," said Faustin. "She's been watching the videos, she laughs at them, it's a good escape for her."
The department started the challenge earlier in the month and it is quickly making its way around the staff and even to other departments across Colorado. The idea is to not only show support for Ellison and her family but all of law enforcement.
"This is what the Aurora Police Department does, this is the big blue family," he said. "We support our own but we love when we get other people supporting us too."
Faustin is working hard to spread the challenge because he knows what it is like to rely on the department during a difficult time.
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"I've experienced first-hand the love and support that this department has, I'm currently fighting my own battle of cancer," he said. "What I've gone through and experienced, I can only imagine what that's like seeing your kid go through it."
The Aurora Police Department also encourages the public to use this challenge as way to show their appreciation to all that wear the uniform. Staff also used this opportunity to get CBS4 involved. They asked CBS4's Shawn Chitnis to take the challenge and he ate a pepper. He then challenged co-workers Britt Moreno, Jamie Leary, and Lauren Whitney. Kelly Werthmann and Jim Benemann were also challenged live on the air.
But they offer a disclaimer to remind anyone considering the challenge to make sure they understand the risk before agreeing to do it.
"For anybody that wants to be out there and show their support for law enforcement, this is a way to do that," said Faustin.
LINK: Ring of Fire Challenge
Donate to Tayler's family: Cops Fighting Cancer
Shawn Chitnis reports for CBS4 News at 10 on weekends and CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. throughout the week. Email him story ideas at smchitnis@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter or Facebook.