Two police officers who persevered in face of life-threatening illness honored

When Nassau County Police Det. Sgt. Craig Croly was in the hospital fighting for his life in 2013, his wife, Marde, stayed by his side day and night.

“I didn’t think she ever left,” Croly, 49, said Thursday, crediting his family, friends and colleagues for his return to full duty in 2015. “Every time I opened my eyes, it didn’t matter when it was, she was there by my bedside.”

Croly, who had been diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis and underwent multiple surgeries, was one of two Long Island police officers honored Thursday at a ceremony in Oyster Bay that recognizes law enforcement officers who, despite having experienced serious illness or injury, returned to the job and continued to provide outstanding service. Croly and Suffolk County Police Officer Vincent Pelliccio, 28, who battled back from testicular cancer, were named the 2019 recipients of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Police Awards.

Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, who himself overcame debilitating asthma, the annual awards are presented to officers nationwide, said Tweed Roosevelt, chief executive officer of the association and the president’s great grandson.

Tweed Roosevelt, the officers’ families and friends, as well as police personnel, including Nassau and Suffolk’s police commissioners, gathered at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site to celebrate Croly and Pelliccio.

“Certainly, the two recipients today represent this icon of commitment police officers have to the public and their willingness to overcome extraordinary challenges to continue working as police officers,” Tweed Roosevelt told the crowd gathered under a white tent. “And, for that, we’re all very appreciative.”

Each officer received a bust bearing Theodore Roosevelt’s likeness during the ceremony at Sagamore Hill, the 26th president’s home from 1885 until his death in 1919.

The accolades, the officers said, belong to their families, friends and colleagues who were there for them in their time of need. They helped out in big ways and in small ways, whether it was Croly’s friend walking his dog or Pelliccio’s sister doing homework by his side to keep him company.

Despite a heavy workload that included a full-time job, an internship and graduate school, Pelliccio said, his sister found time to sit with him when he underwent chemotherapy in 2017 so he wouldn’t be alone.

“My family and the police department were there for me,” said Pelliccio, who returned to work in March 2018. “No matter how busy people’s lives were, they always made time for me, and I’ll be forever grateful.”