By Shawn Cohen New York Post
NYPD Inspector James Guida
NYPD Inspector James Guida died Friday at age 57 after suffering through years of pain from 9/11-related cancer – and his grieving sister responded with an emotional plea.
“I want the world to know about the 9/11 heroes that are being forgotten,” his sister Elizabeth Piazza told the Post, hours after her brother died surrounded by family at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan.
“It’s funny when people say, ‘Never forget.’ You can’t forget. It’s every minute, every new diagnosis. It’s watching this healthy person turn into nothing. He was suffering for seven years, and there are so many people still suffering the effects of that one day. They’re paying the ultimate price.”
Guida, a 30-year NYPD veteran, who previously served as a commander with the Narcotics Borough Manhattan South, the 88th precinct, the 42nd precinct and Brooklyn North Gang Unit, suffered from a rare form of metastatic sarcoma.
It was linked to his exposure to toxins while responding to the World Trade Center.
He continued to work for years after being diagnosed in 2007 and, in 2011, was presented with the Theodore Roosevelt Award for defying disease. In August, he was approved for a 9/11 disability pension.
“I knew him very well as a solid, no nonsense police commander who garnered respect from his subordinates and was in charge of some of the most complicated narcotics operations in city,” said Roy Richter, president of the Captains Endowment Association.
Piazza described her brother as a dedicated police officer and charitable man who also devoted time to the boy scouts and his church.
“To this day, I’ve never met anyone who did not like him,” she said. “Just to see the people who came to see him, pay their respects during his illness. He never complained and never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. He was a true, genuine, good person.”
Abe Friedman, a community leader in Williamsburg and NYPD liaison, also had praise for the late inspector.
“I’ve known Inspector Guida for over 10 years and he is a true mensch. He did his job with dignity and respect and he will be missed by so many in the police department and outside,” Friedman said.
The funeral for Guida will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Parish of St. William the Abbot, 2000 Jackson Ave., Seaford.
Visiting hours will be held from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Massapequa Funeral Home, 4980 Merrick Road, Massapequa.
