Lieutenant Mario Bastidas (1961-2017) served as a paramedic for 26 years, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant in the FDNY Emergency Medical Service Command. He responded to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and spent countless hours at the World Trade Center in rescue and recovery efforts. During these operations, he was exposed to toxins that led to an aggressive form of cancer, to which he succumbed in April 2017.