Benefit for Peru Police Sergeant Jason Brokaw

Benefit for Peru Police Sergeant Jason Brokaw scheduled for May 28 in LaSalle

Will help with expenses related to debilitating medical condition

PERU – Most police officers will walk the beat at some point in their careers. Peru Police Sergeant Jason Brokaw would simply like to walk again.
 
A benefit will be held Saturday, May 28 to assist Brokaw and his family as he battles a debilitating medical condition. The benefit, being organized by members of the Peru Police Department and the Peru Police Association, will run from 6 p.m. to midnight at the LaSalle Knights of Columbus at 209 Gooding Street. Admission is $20 which includes food, a chance for a $500 door prize, cash bar, and a silent auction. Raffle tickets may be purchased for a firearm donated by MMC Armory in Mark, Illinois. Three bands have donated their time to play – The Craig’s; Road Angel, whose drummer is the brother of a deceased Peru Police officer; and 303, whose lead bass player is a sergeant on the Peru Police Department.
 
Anyone wishing to make a donation to assist Sgt. Brokaw and his family, or who would like to purchase fundraiser or raffle tickets, may contact the Peru Police Department / Peru Police Association at (815) 223-2151 or email mcredi@perupolice.org or sraymond@perupolice.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the door the night of the event.
Sgt. Brokaw has been a member of the Peru Police Department since 2008 and serves as one of the department’s firearms instructors. He was previously an officer with the Spring Valley Police Department and a deputy with the Bureau County Sheriff’s Department.
 
About two months ago Sgt. Brokaw, age 42, began experiencing lower back pain, leg pain and numbness in his right leg. At first he believed he slipped a disc, so he went to a chiropractor, but when the problem persisted he went to the family doctor who discovered lesions on Jason’s spine.
 
“He didn’t understand the urgency,” said Deb Brokaw, Jason’s wife. “In the beginning he never felt like he was sick.”
 
When Jason arrived at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, he was able to walk. Now the family is wondering if he will ever walk again. For these past two months, Sgt. Brokaw has suffered from a spreading paralysis caused by transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord. The cause of the inflammation remains undetermined, and he has not yet tested positive for anything that would cause the condition. There were no warning signs of the paralysis-inducing condition. The Mayo Clinic is double-testing all blood work, lumbar punctures, and biopsies performed at St. Francis-Peoria.
 
Jason is a big Cubs and Blackhawks fan, and is very committed to his children, 12-year-old Calvin and 14-year-old Hayleigh.
 
“Right now our biggest drive is to get him to his daughter’s eighth grade graduation on May 26,” Deb Brokaw said.
 
The Peru Police Association is part of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, a law enforcement union representing more than 11,600 professionals in more than 514 bargaining units who work in the criminal justice system. The Labor Council negotiates and enforces contracts and improves salaries, working conditions, and benefits for law enforcement professionals throughout Illinois. Its members include police officers who work for municipalities, universities, and elected Constitutional officials; county sheriff’s deputies, correctional and court security officers; probation officers; 911 telecommunicators; law enforcement records personnel; and some related support staff.