Four Cops Who Overcame Major Afflictions Honored; Laud 'Courage, Determination'

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly Oct. 21 recognized four members of the NYPD for their service to the city despite severe injuries or serious illnesses.

ADAM LAMBOY: Crash didn't end career.

Lieut. Adam Lamboy, Sgt. William Twachtman, Det. Patrick DeCanio and Police Officer Brenda Vargas each received the department's annual Theodore Roosevelt Award at a dinner ceremony.

'Made Mark Despite Challenges'

"Despite their life-threatening challenges, this year's Roosevelt Award recipients have gone on to leave their mark — and improve others' lives — through work in the Special Victims Division and Police Academy, and in firearms training and domestic violence intervention," Commissioner Kelly said in a statement. "While there are stories of courage and determination every day in the NYPD, theirs are among the most vivid tonight."

Lieutenant Lamboy was returning home from his Times Square assignment on New Year's Day 2006 when his car skidded on ice and hit a utility pole. Doctors gave him a 50-percent chance of surviving two punctured lungs, a crushed pelvis, separated sternum, broken scapula and arm, and 18 cracked ribs. He returned to limited duty after three weeks of intensive rehabilitation and was back to full duty that August. Mr. Lamboy, a 17-year veteran, is now the Commanding Officer of the Manhattan Special Victims Squad.

WILLIAM TWACHTMAN: Back after kidney transplant.

Sergeant Twachtman was an active member of the now-defunct Citywide Street Crime Unit when he was diagnosed with a terminal kidney disease. Ten weeks after kidney transplant surgery, he went back to work and continued to study for a promotion exam. The 14-year veteran works in the Police Academy Computer Projects Unit.

Overcame Cancer, Organ Removal

Detective DeCanio survived testicular cancer and the temporary removal of all of his lower organs, an extensive procedure performed just 10 days after the birth of his daughter in November 2001. He had worked at the World Trade Center after September 11 supervising recruit staff and participating in recovery efforts at Ground Zero. By April 2002, he returned to work, and he helped with disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Today, the 16-year veteran of the department provides specialized training at the Firing Range in Rodman's Neck.

PATRICK DeCANIO: Still active despite ordeal.

Police Officer Vargas, a 10-year veteran of the NYPD with more than 300 arrests to her credit, overcame a brain injury to return to work. In July 2006, she was in her second trimester of pregnancy when she experienced a leaking congenital brain aneurism and had to undergo open cranial surgery. After childbirth, Officer Vargas returned to work in the 23rd Precinct and serves there today as a Domestic Violence Prevention Officer.

The award is named after Theodore Roosevelt, who suffered asthma as a child, as well as a debilitating heart condition. He overcame these challenges and associated perceptions of weakness to become Police Commissioner in 1895, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New York, and ultimately President of the United States. The award has been given annually since 2005 to exceptional members of the service who overcame significant medical hardship.

BRENDA VARGAS: Found new niche after brain injury.