Honor 6 Cops Who Came Back After Major Illnesses

STRONGER THAN THEIR ILLNESSES: Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly is surrounded by the six cops who received the NYPD’s Theodore Roosevelt Award for overcoming severe illness or injury to remain on the job. Clockwise from bottom right they are, Lieut. Mary Christine Doherty, Det. Tracey Jones. Det. Nivrose Duncan, Det. Rafael Del Rosario, Sgt. Michael DeMarfio and Lieut. Timothy Brown. Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly Oct. 27 presented the NYPD’s annual Theodore Roosevelt Awards to six cops who returned to their jobs after overcoming severe medical hardship.

Lieuts. Timothy Brown and Mary Christine Doherty, Sgt. Michael De- Marfio and Dets. Rafael Del Rosario, Nivrose Duncan and Tracey Jones each were honored at an award ceremony in Manhattan.

‘Showed Character, Strength’

“Each year, we find vivid examples of courage and determination in the Police Department,” Mr. Kelly said. “These cases particularly speak to the depth of character, physical strength and determination of our officers.”

Lieutenant Brown earned 10 medals and a Commendation for exemplary performance throughout the first 17 years of his career, during which he maintained perfect attendance. The first time he reported sick was in December 2007, when he underwent surgery for thyroid cancer that left him temporarily mute. He returned to work 10 weeks after that operation, and is currently assigned to the Investigations Unit of Patrol Borough Queens North.

Lieutenant Doherty was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2007 and underwent an extensive 14½-hour procedure to remove the tumor, during which doctors had to break her jaw, dissect her neck and take out her lymph nodes and salivary glands. Within one month of a final procedure to remove a metal plate and six screws used to secure her jaw, she returned to work as Operations Coordinator for the Special Operations Division, which includes the Department’s Emergency Service Unit, Harbor/ SCUBA, Aviation, Canine and Mounted Units.

Never Left Bomb Squad

Sergeant DeMarfio spent hundreds of hours assisting the 9/11 rescue and recovery operation at Ground Zero and was diagnosed this year with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Despite this, Sgt. DeMarfio has not missed work except for his initial biopsy and recovery. Additionally, he chooses to remain with the department while managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with medication, rather than retire with a disability pension. A Sergeant Supervisor of Detectives in the Bomb Squad, he has served the NYPD for 27 years.

Key Community Liaison

Detective Duncan has been a member of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South Community Affairs Unit where the Haiti native, who speaks Creole and French, is an organizer of the annual West Indian Day Carnival. Despite enduring chronic liver disease for much of his career, Detective Duncan maintained excellent attendance until his condition required an urgent liver transplant in 2006. Although complications from that surgery resulted in a second operation for Detective Duncan a week after his transplant, he recovered and returned to work in less than a year.

Detective Del Rosario was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last June resulting in a surgery to remove parts of his esophagus and stomach. After losing more than 15 percent of his body weight, he returned to work in the Internal Affairs Bureau Intelligence Section following a four-month recovery. A 24-year member of the department, he also is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and member of the New York Air National Guard and has twice been deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Detective Jones had two mastectomies in 1996 and underwent a hysterectomy eight years later to prevent ovarian cancer. After more than 30 surgeries and numerous hospitalizations and radiation treatments, Det. Jones is free of cancer and provides encouragement to other members of the service who are diagnosed with the disease. She is a member of the Police Self-Support Group counseling organization and Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (POPPA), and is assigned to Employee Relations.

Theodore Roosevelt was the President of the New York City Police Commission from 1895 to 1897. He persevered to overcome physical challenges brought on by a debilitating heart condition and childhood asthma, and rose in influence and prominence throughout his lifetime, which is most often remembered for his tenure as President from 1901 to 1909. The NYPD has bestowed awards in his name since 2005.