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Teresa Irizarry speaks about surviving breast cancer. Courtesy of Teresa Irizarry
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER,50 OCTOBER 9-15, 2020 BTR
The names of the 46 members of the department who died of Covid-19 at the height of the
pandemic were ready outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Photo by Todd Maisel
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI AND
TODD MAISEL
Too many of the 46 NYPD members
who died of COVID-19 never received a
proper, traditional funeral due to pandemic
restrictions. But on Monday, the
NYPD honored these victims of the virus
and their loved ones with a special
Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The Police Department took one of
the heaviest hits as the COVID-19 pandemic
tore through New York City. At
the peak of the crisis, in mid-April,
nearly 20% of the force wound up on
sick leave. Most of the affl icted would
recover.
Nevertheless, the department
mourned the loss of 46 members due to
the health crisis — including unpaid
auxiliary offi cers, school safety agents,
administrative aides and even a chief.
Monday’s Mass sought to honor each
of them who, as Police Commissioner
Dermot Shea put it, “embodied the storied
institutions and rich traditions
of courage, dedication and service” to
the city.
Read more at bxtimes.com.
BY JASON COHEN
In 2012, Throggs Neck resident
Teresa Irizarry had her
fi rst mammogram and was diagnosed
with breast cancer.
While she was a bit sad
and worried at fi rst, she persevered
with the support of
her family, friends and doctors.
Irizarry, 62, underwent
chemotherapy from December
2012 until April 2013 and had
a mastectomy. Since then, she
has been cancer free.
“The doctors laid out everything
nice and clear to
me,” she recalled.
According to Irizarry, Dr.
Elizabeth Lee-Rey, breast cancer
specialist Dr. Nella Shapiro
and oncologist Dr. Fabio
Volterra have been there for
her the past eight years.
Irizarry, a retired telecommunications
manager for the
hotel trade association, has
four children, Louis, Michelle,
Jessenia and Jose and several
grandchildren.
Those fi ve months were the
toughest of her life. She lost
all her hair, but didn’t complain
about the pain she experienced.
In fact, she celebrated all
the holidays with her kids
and grandkids. Irizarry noted
she began chemo on Dec. 27,
2012 so she could be there for
Christmas.
“My grandkids treated me
like nothing was going on,”
she said.
Today, the mom and
grandma has a new lease on
life. While she still gets treatment
every three weeks, she
feels great.
“My recovery was very
smooth because I had the
help of my family,” she
shared.
Irizarry told the Bronx
Times she wished more
women would be allowed to
get mammograms done before
age 40. Unless someone
has a family history, the CDC
does not recommend the test
for younger women.
She stressed that even
with COVID-19, any woman
who is eligible to be tested for
breast cancer should do so.
“Every woman needs to
go out and get their mammogram
done,” she said. “It
could save their life. I’ve seen
a lot of girls who have passed
away because mammograms
are done after the age of 40.”
Irizarry attends breast
cancer awareness events
and does her best to educate
people about the disease. She
enjoys meeting other survivors
like herself and sharing
stories. Through everything,
she has always kept a positive
attitude.
“I just want to tell every
woman who has breast cancer
to keep their heads up and have
hope and faith,” she said.
NYPD salutes members
killed by COVID-19
/bxtimes.com