Bone-Marrow Donor Sought For Fallen Police Chief's Grandson

UNION CITY, CA – A bone-marrow drive is underway for the grandson of a former Union City police chief, who died after being shot in the 1970s, according to the Union City Police Department.

"In 1974, the Union City Police Chief William Cann was assassinated during a community meeting where he was trying to calm tensions after an officer-involved shooting in the city," the department said Thursday in a social media post. "Chief Cann was a very sincere and progressive chief and had called the meeting in an attempt to provide more information to members of the community about circumstances that led up to the shooting.

"Since the assassination, UCPD meets with Chief Cann’s wife, Liz, every year during Police Week to pay respect to Chief Cann’s memory. Over the years, members of our department have also had the pleasure of getting to know Chief Cann’s children and his grandchildren. Unfortunately, this week we learned that Chief Cann’s 17-year-old grandson Dylan Cazin is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)."

Dylan needs a bone-marrow transplant, critical for his recovery, and, to date, no one in the family is a complete match, the department said.

To bring community awareness to Dylan's need and to encourage area residents to be tested, the Union City police published the website of the registry: http://bethematch.org/ . Click "Support The Cause," and then “Donate Bone Marrow" for more information.

"Our goal is to find a donor with 12 of 12 factors that match Dylan," police said. "The test to determine if you are a match is just a simple mouth swab. If you happen to be a match, you will have the opportunity to save a life, often times the life you save will be a child."

Dylan’s journey is being chronicled by his mom, Roni, at Caringbridge.org. Type "Dylan Cazin" in search space.

For those who wish to contribute financially to the family's struggle, a GoFundMe fundraiser also is set up at "Dylan's 'Beat Leukemia' Fund."

"Chief Cann gave his life serving this community, and since his assassination, we have honored him through various ceremonial events," the department said. "Now is an opportunity to give back in a very personal way by possibly being a bone marrow match for his grandson, Dylan."

To read more about Chief Cann, click here.

--Image courtesy of Dylan's GoFund Me campaign here.