Blood Drive to Honor Manhattan Beach Police's 'Superman'
May 20, 2024 10:40PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
Mark Vasquez. Photo via MBPD.
A blood drive on Wednesday will honor Mark Vasquez, a Manhattan
Beach Police Department officer who lost his battle with blood cancer in 2011.
Vasquez was nicknamed "Superman" for his strength and resilience.
The
13th Annual Mark Vasquez Memorial Event will be held on Wednesday, May 22, from
9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Joslyn Community Center in Manhattan
Beach.
Vasquez
had numerous blood transfusions over the course of four years of
chemotherapy, including two stem cell transplants.
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.
Lee Sibbald, Vasquez's 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.
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) and use sponsor code MarkVasquez to make an appointment.
Anyone who gives blood, platelets or plasma from now through June 9 will get an exclusive American Red
Cross/ Tetris t-shirt while supplies last.
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 49th birthday.
