FDNY and New York Blood Center Honor Bone Marrow Donors
January 28th, 2014Howard P. Milstein, Chairman of New York Blood Center’s Board of Trustees; Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano; and Christopher D. Hillyer, M.D., President and CEO of New York Blood Center (NYBC) joined today to add the names of 14 bone marrow donors to the Honor Roll of Life at the 10th annual induction ceremony at FDNY Headquarters.
During the ceremony, Firefighter Christopher Howard, 31, of Engine 255 in Brooklyn met the recipient of his lifesaving bone marrow, John Ciempa, 66, from Lakeland, Florida. And another FDNY Firefighter — Billy Zask Jr., of Squad 288 in Queens — was reunited with the recipient of his bone marrow donations – Alex Maldonado, 9, of Puerto Rico. Alex was just 2 years old when he received his bone marrow transplant.
“The FDNY and NYBC’s combined efforts make a tremendous impact in our community,” said Mr. Milstein. “As we recognize the 10th anniversary of our ‘Honor Roll of Life’ program, the success of the FDNY’s bone marrow registry efforts, while gratifying, should not be surprising. Our brave firefighters never fail to answer the call. Saving lives is in their blood.”
“The 162 FDNY members on our Honor Roll of Life who have selflessly made donations of stem cells and bone marrow epitomize the lifesaving dedication of every member of this department,” said Commissioner Cassano. “Each of these beautiful stories is a life saved thanks to the incredible partnership between the FDNY, the New York Blood Center, and the Be The Match Registry.”
“Most recipients of bone marrow never get the chance to meet their donors. The fact that 162 FDNY members have given without question — and have done so knowing they will likely never meet the person they have saved — makes these gifts all the more meaningful,” said Dr. Hillyer. “Each one of these donors has gone above and beyond the call of duty, and all deserve our thanks.”
Honored for donating bone marrow in 2013 were Capt. Charles Buser, Lt. James McCarren, Lt. Joseph McGovern, Lt. Francis Cummins, Firefighter Michael Carroll, Firefighter Joseph Sanger, Firefighter Anthony Gazzara, Firefighter Fredrick Perdue, Firefighter John Schroeder, Firefighter Vincent Mirando, Firefighter Keith Jackson, Firefighter Thomas Gonzalez, Firefighter Marlon Byrne, and EMT Nicholas Morisano.
SOURCE: Fire Department of New York
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