NELSON DONES '99 

Detective

New York City Police Department 

 

 

A member of the New York City Police Department for 21 years and a 1999 graduate of Mercy College, Nelson Dones' greatest accomplishment may well be his pioneering service to law enforcement officers facing treatment for catastrophic illnesses in hospitals far away from home.

 

In April of 2000, Nelson was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma, with the grim diagnosis that he had only four months to live, unless he pursued radical treatment. For Nelson, the worst part of treatment was not being available to serve the NYPD. So he brought the same professional strength to chemotherapy and regular hospital visits that he had given to his police work for two decades. When needed to go to Houston, Texas, for a stem cell transplant, he brought along his police uniform, to hang in his hospital room for inspiration. Area police officers learned that a member of the NYPD was waging a battle for life in a local hospital, and they rallied support for Nelson and for his wife - a virtual parade of uniformed visitors. The impact of that encouragement led him to form the National Support Network, Inc., so that other law enforcement officers across the nation could share his own experience of support. Through this network, Nelson tells his own story, offers practical resources (from discounted airfares to hotel information), and proclaims his personal philosophy: “Cancer gives us the opportunity to see beyond the ordinary.”

 

Dones' resume includes being a detective with the special investigations unit of the New York City Police Department for 21 years. Prior to joining the NYPD he was a jewelry designer but he became a police officer because, in his poor neighborhood in New York City, he witnessed the devastation when "youth took the wrong paths.” He was committed to making a difference, committed to the people he served, a man who literally loved going to work: "Mondays are the best days for me...I was told that if you find a job you love, you never have to work again for the rest of your life!” In 1999 he was part of the citywide taskforce for pickpocket crime training. He conducted seminars for other officers and personally walked the beat. The result was a reduction in pickpocket crime by 60% in the first month of the program.

 

Returning to College to earn a B.S. degree in Behavioral Science, Nelson graduated from Mercy College in 1999. Continuing his involvement with the College, he was a featured speaker at the Bronx Campus for Hispanic Heritage Month in September 2001.