Douglas was nominated by his co worker, James Shanahan, who said “In February 2018, Police Officer Douglas Bedell completed the Nassau County Police Academy and was assigned to the 4th Precinct. On April 11,2018, Police Officer Bedell had a lump on his neck/jaw region evaluated. A few days later, after the mass was removed, Officer Bedell was informed that the mass was malignant and he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Diffuse Large Cell B Lymphoma.

Officer Bedell was given several options for his cancer treatment, and he decided that there was no other way than to aggressively treat the cancer. Over the next few months Officer Bedell endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy. Each round lasted 5 days as an inpatient at Sloan- Kettering Hospital in Manhattan and Officer Bedell was intravenously administered Chemotherapy for (96) hours straight. Officer Bedell endured numerous PET/CAT scans and continued to fight this disease.

On October 15,2018, Officer Bedell informed the Nassau County Police Department that he was in remission and ready to return to work. He insisted on returning to full duty and even insisted on requalifying with the Firearms Training Unit as during one of his Chemotherapy treatments he had numbness on the right side of his body which included his right arm on the side that he carries his firearm. Officer Bedell qualified with a 92 percent score.

In April 2019, Officer Bedell was informed that he was in remission and had now only had to undergo getting scanned every 4 months. Unfortunately, the Chemo treatments had taken a toll on his liver functions and he is now in need of a liver transplant. He continues to work in the 4th Precinct and the only sick time he has used was to have his liver drained when it was retaining fluid. To date, Police Officer Bedell is currently waiting for a liver donor.

Officer Bedell’s positive attitude and eagerness to continue working and also his perseverance in the face of adversity is an inspiration. He has shown determination and strength in returning to work as a full duty Police Officer on patrol while awaiting a liver transplant.”

Douglas, thanks for all you do for the community. As a way of saying thanks, you will receive a $100 gift card for Moe’s Southwest Grill.

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