Blood Drive Will Memorialize MBPD's 'Superman'
May 20, 2025 12:16PM ● By Mb News Staff
Mark Vasquez. Photo via MBPD.
A blood drive on Thursday, May 22 will honor Mark Vasquez, a Manhattan
Beach Police Department officer who passed away in 2011 after battling blood cancer.
Vasquez was nicknamed "Superman" for his strength and resilience.
The
14th Annual Mark Vasquez Memorial Event will run from
9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Joslyn Community Center in Manhattan
Beach.
The Red Cross and the Manhattan Beach Police Officers Association join
together with Vasquez's family, friends, and colleagues to memorialize
him each year with the blood drive. Over the course of four years of chemotherapy, Vasquez
had numerous blood transfusions, including two stem cell transplants.
Lee Sibbald, Vasquez's surviving wife, said that the family would once again like to give
back to those in need of blood transfusions, including patients
fighting cancer or other illnesses.
All donors between noon and 3:00 p.m. will receive free tacos, courtesy of Vasquez's family, while supplies last.
To join the blood drive, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment.
MBPD's 'Superman'
Vasquez was born and raised in the South Bay. He grew up playing
baseball and had said he always wanted to be a police officer. He graduated from West
Torrance High School, El Camino College, and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
He married Lee in 2000 and had two daughters, Madison and Ashley.
Vasquez joined the Manhattan Beach Police Department in 2005 and
worked in patrol until he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood
cancer, in 2007.
Since that time, Mark’s family, friends, and colleagues have gathered each May to honor and remember his larger-than-life personality, as well as his love of life. This year, the event will be held on the week of what would have been Vasquez's 50th birthday.
