ANAHEIM : Officer’s Partner Offers Helping Hand

Anaheim Police Officer Martin Curry knew his partner, Mike Helmick, needed some help.

Helmick’s wife, Nancy, 32, is suffering from a rare form of terminal cancer, and the insurance will no longer cover the enormous expense of further treatment.

So Curry looked to his friends, and the Chamber of Commerce, and organized a 4,000-seat pancake breakfast this Sunday to raise funds to help pay for the mounting medical bills.

“I think Marty just saw another officer in need and decided to lend a helping hand,” Detective Werner Raef said. “Everybody just kind of kicked in after that and really got on the bandwagon.”

California Angels pitcher Jim Abbott will speak at the $3-per-person breakfast, made possible with the help of donations from Bridgford Foods, Karcher Enterprises, and Smart and Final Iris, organizer Tom Kissler said.

Raef said many officers had transferred portions of their accumulated time off to Helmick so that he would be able to spend more time with his wife and 3-year-old daughter Brittney. And about three months ago, the police association passed a hat around, collecting about $8,000 to help Nancy.

“They’re all together in a sort of a common cause,” Kissler said.

Raef expected about 250 members of the 320-officer force to attend the breakfast, which will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Martin Hall in La Palma Park in Anaheim.

Organizers hope the event will raise about $25,000 for Nancy Helmick, who has sarcoma cancer that attacks the lungs and heart.