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When Sergeant Selvin Smith was asked what he wanted for his birthday on June 30, his only wish was for his loved ones to make sacrificial donations to Nathaniel Wilson, a two-year-old boy battling stage 3 cancer.

"Our target was $1 million and we didn't get there, but we got $500,000 and I was very very grateful to all who participated in the two fundraisers that was held in the form of a cake sale and a 5K race. It was one of the best birthdays for me. Days later I was able to hand over the money to Nathaniel's mom and that was a wonderful feeling," Smith said.

Smith, an instructor at the National Police College of Jamaica, has been able to assist several children over the past few years through his Give a Child a Chance Initiative. However, he stated that little Nathaniel has been closest to his heart. He said Nathaniel's mother, Natalee Whyte-Wilson, is a member of the auxiliary staff at the police college and he was devastated when he learnt about the toddler's situation. He said he was instantly drawn to the infant's bubbly personality.

"Nathaniel reached out to my heart and it is almost like you want to cry knowing that he does not know that he is ill. He is bubbly, energetic and strong. He is a little man and you would hear him make an expression and you would say 'Is he really two years old'? He is full of life and just the thought of life being shortened for him, it does something to me all the time. If I am not careful now, I will flow over with tears," he said.

The cop told THE STAR that getting the funds had its own challenges. He wasn't able to approach corporate Jamaica for assistance, "because we did not have the movement or foundation registered".

"But we have started the process of getting it registered. I always tell people to give me what they have but with Nathaniel's case, I was a bit more forceful and I started to tell people not to give me what they have thrown down, but to make a sacrifice for Nathaniel. I asked them to make sacrificial donations," he said.

During the interview, Smith's eyes welled up with tears after he received news from Nathaniel's mother that the toddler's condition may have worsened. Although his pain was evident, he offered strong words of encouragement over the phone to Whyte-Wilson, who, at the time, was at the Bustamante Hospital for Children with her son.

Smith then recalled how the idea of Give a Chance came about years ago. He told the news team that he decided to start the charitable organisation after seeing how one of his relatives struggled with her daughter, who eventually died during her teenage years.

"My cousin's daughter was born normal but at two years old she had a stroke and that took away her mobility and her cognitive abilities. Her mother had to be that stalwart carrying her everywhere and doing everything for her. She did this from she was two until she was 13 years old when she died. So, that led me to think that if the mother and child had more support, she probably would have a chance. That when I thought I could move people to help to give a child a chance. So that is how the name came about," Smith said.