Northwell hosts annual Don Monti Cancer Survivor’s Day
More than 1,200 cancer survivors, family members, friends and medical staff from across the Northwell Health system attended the annual Don Monti Cancer Survivor’s Day held at Northwell Health’s Cancer Institute on June 14.
The event, made possible by the Don Monti Memorial Research Foundation, which supports patient care, research, and education in the fields of oncology and hematology, was held under a 300-foot-long tent outside the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center in New Hyde Park.
The keynote speaker was Brian Boyle, a former New York Ranger and New Jersey Devils hockey player and a cancer survivor.
“All struggle is a gift, if we did have any hardships life would be pretty boring,” Boyle said. “Motivate yourself so you can call yourself a survivor and help someone else.”
Another cancer survivor, Tara McEvoy of Lynbrook, a 30-year veteran Northwell paramedic, also shared her triumph over cancer.
“When I was first diagnosed with cancer the hardest transition for me was to go from paramedic to patient…I didn’t know how to ask for help,” McEvoy said. “To get through cancer you need to trust your doctors, science, and lean on your friends and family, they want to help.”
Dr. Richard Barakat, physician-in-chief and executive director of the Northwell Cancer Institute, said he was struck by the energy and the passion of survivors, family members and clinicians from all areas of oncology.
“Cancer survivorship starts on day one of diagnosis, and at Northwell we’re committed to improving the quality of life for people with symptoms and side effects beyond the acute phase of cancer and coordinate care for patients to manage symptoms or other medical conditions,” he said.
According to the National Cancer Institute there are 18.1 million cancer survivors in the country, which is roughly 5 percent of the population, and the number is expected to go up to 22 million in the next decade, Barakat noted.
During the event, Caroline Monti Saladino, president of the Don Monti Memorial Research Foundation, presented the Tita & Joseph Monti-Vincent Vinciguerra Award in Patient Care to Dr. Lucille Nichols Lee, a radiation oncologist and vice chair for standards and directives of the Department of Radiation Medicine, part of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute.
