(Brooklyn, N.Y.)—On Thursday, June 5, Maimonides Health hosted its 20th annual Cancer Survivors Day to honor and celebrate cancer patients who have received or are currently undergoing treatment at Maimonides Cancer Center. More than 300 patients and their family members joined Cancer Center staff in the celebration at Dyker Beach Golf Course, which included dinner and a performance by the Mazel Tov Cocktail Band, featuring musicians who are also Maimonides surgeons and surgery residents.
“Cancer Survivor’s Day is one of my favorite events at Maimonides. The diagnosis of cancer is a true challenge, and so, it is a real gift for our team to celebrate our patients,” said Ken Gibbs, President and CEO, Maimonides Health. “We are also fortunate to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Maimonides Cancer Center and proud of its history of delivering state-of-the-art cancer care to our community.”
“In twenty years, we have treated more than 35,000 patients for cancer, we provided 760,000 mammograms at the Maimonides Breast Center, and provided 9,000 with radiation therapy,” said Dr. Patrick Borgen, Founder and Director, Maimonides Breast Cancer Program and Chair, Department of Surgery, Maimonides Health. “Maimonides saw that Brooklyn needed a dedicated cancer center and fulfilled that need, in the name of providing Brooklynites with the world-class cancer care this community deserves.”
The highlight of the evening was the Cancer Survivors Awards, presented by oncologists to patients who demonstrated exceptional courage and determination in overcoming their cancer diagnoses. Dr. James Butler presented awards to Olivia Chen and Sindy Ching. Dr. Yiqing Xu presented the Special Survivor Award to Suxian Hu. Peggy Sheng received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Born at Maimonides, and decades later, I returned to fight cancer—it’s a journey I never expected. From the moment I arrived, I was treated with compassion, dignity, and respect,” said Dennis McGrath, a cancer survivor. Everyone—from senior leadership to the entire K6 unit, and even environmental services and the hospital transporters made me feel like a human being, not a diagnosis or a (patient) ID. They gave me more than just medical and oncology care –they gave me hope. Their care helped save my life, and I will forever be grateful to all the staff at Maimonides who cared for me and my service dog, Guardian.”
The annual event not only demonstrates the strong bonds formed between patients and the Cancer Center providers and staff, but also the impact of advanced treatment options available at Brooklyn’s first fully accredited cancer center.
Click here for photos of the event. To download photos, use PIN 6741.
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About Maimonides Cancer Center
Maimonides Cancer Center is recognized for its award-winning treatment excellence for patients of all ages. The comprehensive center is home to New York’s top oncologists, with a fully accredited Breast Center, Breast Imaging Center of Excellence and Prostate Center offering the latest minimally invasive approaches, such as HIFU. Maimonides patients receive personalized treatment plans from experts who use the most innovative treatment therapies and provide access to clinical trials that advance cancer research and outcomes.
Maimonides Health is Brooklyn’s largest healthcare system, serving over 320,000 patients each year through the system’s 3 hospitals, 1,800+ physicians and more than 80 community-based practices and outpatient centers. The system is anchored by Maimonides Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest independent teaching hospitals and home to centers of excellence in numerous specialties and Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital (formerly New York Community Hospital), a 130-bed adult medical-surgical hospital; and Maimonides Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn’s only children’s hospital and only pediatric trauma center.
Maimonides’ clinical programs rank among the best in the country for patient outcomes, including its Heart and Vascular Institute, Neurosciences Institute, Bone and Joint Center, and Cancer Center. Maimonides is an affiliate of Northwell Health and a major clinical training site for SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. For additional information, please visit www.maimo.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.