Girl with rare disease looking for first responder patches during her lengthy road to recovery

ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A young girl with a rare disease is preparing for a lengthy road to recovery.

And she’s hoping to decorate her hospital room with first responder patches.

Three-year-old Hailey Wetmore loves to play with all of her toys, but her collection of patches from Connecticut police, fire, and EMS departments are her favorite.

“Hailey always called them tattoos. We’re not really sure where that started. I think because my husband has a tattoo on his arm where a patch would go,” said Kyra Wetmore, Hailey’s mom.

Hailey was born with a rare condition called Cloacal Exstrophy which affects much of her body.

“Her GI system, her urinary system, her renal system, her reproductive system. It also included her spine and her lower extremities. They were all deformed,” Kyra said.

And next January, she begins a lengthy surgical process that will leave her in a Boston hospital for weeks. As she gets ready, she knows exactly how she wants to decorate her hospital room.

“We can bring anything you want to the hospital, like absolutely anything,” Kyra told Hailey. “And she goes, ‘Well, can I bring daddy’s tattoos?’ I said, ‘Of course you can.’”

Kyra is an EMT in Rocky Hill. Her husband, Hailey’s dad, is a firefighter in Milford.

When Kyra posted on social media asking for more patches to bring to Boston, they were inundated with offers.

“Each patch came from somebody who said, ‘Let me send this to this little girl.’ That means more to us than we could ever put into words,” Kyra said.

WFSB helped get over 40 more patches from departments all over the state to add to her collection.

“I’m speechless,” Kyra said. “Every single patch is worth a million dollars.”

But it was on Valentine’s Day that multiple departments thought they’d make a home delivery. Their mission - to make Hailey smile.

Local departments, including Rocky Hill and Newington, felt they needed to deliver the patches in person.

Through tears, Kyra said, “We have a very long journey ahead and this was the most incredible show of support and love we could have asked for.”

“It’s really a rewarding thing for us as first responders to be able to show how much we support our communities,” says Sergeant Luke Davis of the State Police.

The Connecticut Police Chiefs Association answered the call, collecting around 50 patches themselves.

“It’s great to see the look on her face and how happy she is to get it. And we’re just happy to be able to contribute and be a part of it and make her day a little better,” says Lieutenant Ryan Deane of Newington Police.

Hailey had a day full of gifts, K9s kisses and even a ride in a cruiser.

Her parents say they couldn’t have been more grateful to see how many people are in Hailey’s corner.

“This has been the craziest few days of my life,” says Kyra.

If you would like to donate a patch, you can mail it to the Rocky Hill Volunteer Ambulance Association:

Rocky Hill Volunteer Ambulance Association

Attn: Assistant Chief Hailey

PO Box 33

Rocky Hill, CT 06067

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