Final Wish
- The good earth. To Chicago police Officer Anthony Letizia, it’s an eight- inch-by-eight-inch piece of sod, a patch of baseball field he planned to visit before he died.
An avid Cubs fan, Letizia, 32, now in the final days of hospice care because of a deadly brain cancer, had thought he’d lost his lifetime goal of visiting the country’s 30 professional baseball parks.
He and his wife, Sarah, a White Sox fan, had only succeeded in visiting 29.
Last Monday, the 30th ballpark came to him.
Read it all.
Labels: general
posted by SCC at 12:33 AM
46 Comments:
I read it yesterday. Sad story, but a great thing by the Astros. God bless you, Ofc. Letizia.
I hate fucking cancer.
God bless Tony and his family. Great guy. Sad to see someone so young afflicted by such a horrible disease.
Anthony, May the good Lord be with you and your beloved family. Thanks for serving the community brother, you will be remembered Lad.
Such a touching story, made me want to cry. Wish the family best of luck from here on out. Hope cpd memorial pays a trip for wife and kids to eye a game.
Hang tough officer
That's fucking sad... I am 33 years old, my ass is guaranteed to get a heart attack in the middle 30s cause my dad and grandfather died of that shit in their early 40s
Nice work by our Chaplain and CPMF on behalf of our brother, Tony.
Nice, but sad, story.
Be sure to enjoy all the time you have with your family now folks. You never know when it's your turn to join gods army. We have one of the most stressful jobs in the world. But that stress is nothing like the stress Anthony Letizia and his family are going through. Please pray for eachother and always have eachother a backs. Prayers for a miracle for Tony Letizia, and when it's your turn for Jesus to call you home, the 009th dist will never forget you. God speed.
You are an inspiration and a beautiful role model for all CPD members. God Bless!
Very moving. God Bless him and his family.
I worked with him in 009, he is a genuinely great guy. To visit these parks and take his family to Disney was his dream.
Oh man! I feel like a complete jerkoff. This is the first time I've heard of my brother in blues story.
excellent story - nice way to bring a smile to a sad story.
side note - scan down to the next Sneed article about Corpsman Training at Stroger
Sad story. Very nice young man.
God bless him and his family. Too young to be going thru his final days.
God bless you and your family.
I'm praying for you Officer. God bless you and your family.
To our fellow officer.....may your days be filled with peace, my brother in blue.....and to your family we wish comfort. Know that they will always have your brothers and sisters in blue standing with them, willing to help without reservation when they need it.
I had the pleasure of working with this officer on multiple occasions a few years back. He is very nice and such a genuine person, was always in a pleasant/joking mood. I will pray for you and your family.
God Bless you Officer Letzia for the difference you made in your too short life. May the hands of God protect you on your final journey. Prayers for his lovely wife Sarah, his family, friends and family in blue. Thank you for your heroic choice to become a CPD officer.
Love and prayers from a grateful citizen.
Prayers to Tony and his family. Great guy!
Anonymous said...
Be sure to enjoy all the time you have with your family now folks. You never know when it's your turn to join gods army. We have one of the most stressful jobs in the world. But that stress is nothing like the stress Anthony Letizia and his family are going through. Please pray for eachother and always have eachother a backs. Prayers for a miracle for Tony Letizia, and when it's your turn for Jesus to call you home, the 009th dist will never forget you. God speed.
3/21/2016 06:18:00 AM
True prayers for this great copper and his family, you never know when it is your time the working all the extra at the expense of not seeing your family all you can not worth it! Family is always first this job causes a lot of stress and many diseases are stress related, the immune system breaks down, This job is full of stress from all the "investigations" to the pathetic gold star kids, the government media complex, on and on! Your children are young for a short time enjoy time with them job #1 is your family this job its over! Stay fetal!
Thank you Father and Phil for getting involved
I'm sorry to admit that this is the first I've heard of this.
Stay strong brother & keep fighting!!!!!!!
Damnit. Now I can't root that hard against the Astros anymore. Not at all, actually.
God Bless Ofc. Letizia and his family. Prayers to all the .men and women in blue at all times.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
That's fucking sad... I am 33 years old, my ass is guaranteed to get a heart attack in the middle 30s cause my dad and grandfather died of that shit in their early 40s
3/21/2016 03:54:00 AM
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Don't make it a self fufilling prophesy. A friend of mine always feared the same thing and he made certain it would, and it did. Take preventative steps now.
Officer Letizia, you are in my prayers. The side of you so many people do not get to know, we know now. It's precious and fun what you shared with your loving wife! And wonderful you two made your goal of 30! Godspeed, sir! I haven't a doubt in my heart that love will always be with you on your journey...lots of love! And that you will always and forever continue to be loved and very much alive in the hearts of your beloveds...
Godspeed Officer. I will pray for you and your family.
https://www.gofundme.com/letizia. Go fund me page
God bless you and your family.
God bless you and your family. You will never be forgotten. Your family will always have us.
I am a PO and many in my family are PO's. I lost my 24 year old son to brain cancer. I wish you comfort and encourage you to stay strong. May your family be with you and provide the moments of love you deserve.
Thank you be very one for your kind words. The CPD and the CPMF have been amazing to my sister and Anthony. I will make sure to share this page with them.
That's fucking sad... I am 33 years old, my ass is guaranteed to get a heart attack in the middle 30s cause my dad and grandfather died of that shit in their early 40s
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It does not have to be that way. Time to get ahead of the monster and DO something about it if you can. Many early deaths are entirely preventable. Why shouldn't yours be?
You were forewarned, now prepare. Lay off of the shit fatty foods, liquor and above all else the cigarettes. Weight loss is a game changer -- for the good.
Go to Mayo Clinic up in Rochester MN. About 5 1/2 hour drive from Chicago. Call up there, and tell them that you need a General Medical Examination with an emphasis on cardiology.
Tell them your problem, specifically that you believe that you have a family history of cardiac issues and early deaths.
They will send you a 20-25 page document to fill out. They want to know everything about you, your family, your relatives going back as far as you can. It will take a solid evening to fill out.
Then go you your home Doctors, and request (demand if you have to) all of your medical records. Copies of those go up to Rochester.
When accepted and appointments are offered, you drive up on a Sunday afternoon and check into your hotel. The Kahler is right across the street from the clinic and Rochester Methodist Hospital. If you have an Entertainment Book/Discount card, the room ought to be about 80 bucks a night. It isn't a 5 star, but it is clean and it will do.
Monday AM you will have a litany of appointments, blood, chest X-ray, EKG, the whole bit. You will likely see your cardiologist around 1100 or so. He will refer you to additional tests such as a stress test, heart ultrasound and what not.
If you have high BP, you'll likely see someone up on the 12th floor - BP clinic.
While you are there, look into seeing the Ophthalmologist, and a Dermatologist. Your skin is the biggest organ of your body and all sorts of methyl-ethyl icky shit gets in trans dermally. Moles turn into skin cancers, etc. Snore heavily? Look at your blood oxygen level and if it is off kilter, go for a sleep study. Sleep Apnea will kill you dead.
Colon Cancer is a terrible terrible way to die. A colonoscopy is mandatory. Because I have cancer in my family, I run it every three years. Worst part is the prep. Best part is the instant 5 pounds you lose :)
A baseline will be established, and god willing if they find something brewing that will stop your clock in the next 5-8 years -and- you do something about it, you might beat your Father and Grandfather.
Tremendously nice people up there. The finest Doctors in the nation. People travel from all around the world to get medical care there.
My Dad died at 59 and my Mother at 65. I absolutely intend to beat those years. I have waaaaaay too much living to do yet.
BTW: Your Insurance will cover it. I have BCBS here and even if I didn't, what is your life worth? Money is cheap and you can't take it with you. Spend a little and get a lot in return.
Good luck, and God bless you Officer.
I.Hate.Cancer. My prayers to you and especially to the family. Please support the family but do it in a silent manner. We dont need to overly smother them. Give money and help fulfill dreams and good experiences for them. I hate when people try to throw big events and invite the media etc. The families of these people dont want news coverage and over "play" of their story. Its not a happy time. Its not a time for fake smiles and thank yous that have no meaning. leave them alone and support them silently with money and prayer. Later, after all the dust settles the smile and heartfelt thank you will come.. Not that we seek out thank you we just want the family comfortable during this time. God bless you officer and your family.
This job is full of stress from all the "investigations" to the pathetic gold star kids, the government media complex, on and on!
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not the time or place for your rant about the department and stresses from gold stars. If you let gold stars stress you out then get your head checked stroke.
This topic is a rear tear jerker. After being retired for awhile with close to 36 yoj, Members of the CPD have never failed to amaze me with the compassion always showed a brother or sister otj in a terrible situation with themselves or their family.
The CPD again makes me so proud to have worked with best of the best in any field of work.
My prayers are with all of the great members of the CPD.
He passed away this morning approx 0500
He passed away this morning approx 0500
3/22/2016 09:04:00 AM
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terrible. I hope the family can find peace in some way although I know its not likely. Absolutely devastating for them. I pray for them.
my prayers are with him n his family please advise of any benefit
god bless n stay safe
and to bo lorretta lynch n rahm as always a big f-ckyou
R.I.P. Tony. May God welcome you into his kingdom and watch over your family. I'm going to miss you buddy. You truly were a nice guy. In the short time I knew you, you were always in good spirits. I will remember you in that way, always.
RIP Tony. No benefit yet but have heard about this.
https://www.gofundme.com/letizia
I worked with Tony in 021 and 009. He was always in a great mood and fun to be around, even after his first bout with a brain tumor. He came back to work and was his usual happy self, even joking about his memory not being what it was before the cancer. He will be missed, and I hope his family can deal with this terrible loss of a great person. RIP Tony.
For those interested in donating, the gofundme page appears to still be active:
https://www.gofundme.com/letizia
Rest in peace brother you were taken to young my deepest sympathy & condolences to your family truly a great genuine guy!
R.I.P. Officer... you were taken from us way to early and too young!
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