Cpl. Melvin Elliott has been employed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for 17 years. In March, Melvin began tasting blood in his mouth & throat. After seeing his physician & a specialist, Melvin was told he had a cancerous mass in his throat. The team of physicians advised against surgery as it could cause life long speech & consumption issues. Melvin is currently receiving chemotherapy treatment.
Sgt. Marcus Janes has been employed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for 13 years. Marcus was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. He underwent surgery; however, during surgery, the doc-tors discovered it had metastasized throughout his body. Because of this they were unable to complete the surgery. Un-fortunately, Marcus lost his battle with cancer.
Deputy Tammy Brooks has been employed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for 16 years. Tammy was recently diagnosed with Kappa Light Chain Multiply Myeloma. This is a form of cancer that causes renal kidney failure. Tammy is currently receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments. These treatments are an emotional and financial burden on her family.
Deputy Lenette Johnson has been employed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for 10 years. Lenette was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery for a double mastectomy. Lenette is currently awaiting radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Not only has this been an emotional time for her family, but it has been a financial burden.
Deputy Dawn Matthews has been employed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for 27 years. Dawn was recently diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, this is Dawn’s second fight against cancer. Dawn is currently receiving chemotherapy and travels to Miami to receive these treatments. The family has felt the emotional and financial strain of this disease.
Santonia Cobia is the husband of employee Romanda Cobia who has been employed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for 20 years. Santonia experience an unexpected medical emergency in which he suddenly lost his vision & had to be rushed into emergency surgery. Three additional surgeries had to be per-formed & the procedures have had mini-mal success. Santonia has been unable to return to work due to his medical condition.
Sami Yassine has been employed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for 15 years. In the middle of January 2021, Sami suffered a stoke. He was hospitalized for approximately a month and then transferred to a rehabilitation center for approximately another month. Sami has lost movement to the left side of his body. Sami is continuing with therapy in an effort to re-learn simple tasks. It is unknown when he may return to work.