The Renton Police Guild is raising money to help a Renton Police Department employee who is battling cancer.

Jackie Thomas, who has worked as a police service specialist for 23 years, was diagnosed with stage four cancer last year. The cancer from the tumor metastasized and spread into her liver.

Thomas underwent a surgery last September to remove the cancerous part in her liver. She is gearing up for a surgery to remove the rest of the cancer on March 26.

Surgeries and treatments have been wracking up a long medical bill for Thomas. To help one of their own, Renton Police Guild created a GoFundMe page last month to collect donations to help with Thomas’ medical bills.

“The guild supports of of our members, whether they are commissioned police officers or if they’re non-commissioned (members),” said Officer Mark Coleman, former guild president. “The guild is here to serve all of our members, not just in labor relations but also in the personal lives too. To help them with the different kinds of problems they might have. It is our honor to help Jackie as a member of the guild and as a member of the police department.”

As of Tuesday, the fundraising site had $7,100 in donations. The campaign is set out to collect $25,000.

Even though Thomas is not an officer, Coleman said she is an irreplaceable member of the RPD family.

“Jackie as a person is a very beloved member of the Renton Police Department,” he said. “She has been around for 23 years. She’s matronly, somebody to look up to. She’s wise, she’s helpful. She is always in great spirits. She’s a leader and a role model to all the other members in the department. She’s just a very beloved figure. She’s a bright light in the Renton Police Department.”

This isn’t the first time the guild has stepped to help out one of their own. Coleman said the guild raised funds to help an officer who had throat cancer few years ago.

When Thomas first heard about the guild’s efforts to raise donations, she said her tears did the talking.

“Oh my God, I cried,” she said. “Everything I’ve read, every comment, I cried. I couldn’t hold it in every longer…. Those guys and gals at the police department, they’re like my brothers and sisters and my children. I really love them.”

Having been in the department for over two decades, Thomas said she can’t help considering the newer employees as her kids.

“I swear, they keep getting younger and younger,” she said, chuckling.

For more information or to donate to the campaign, visit www.gofundme.com/hope-for-jackie-thomas-renton.