Grace Colletti, Dr. Yusuf Hannun, Director of the Cancer Center, and Ally Cierski. Colletti and Cierski, who are both middle school students, were the youngest of the honorees at the “Above and Beyond” dinner. The two ran a lemonade stand with the singular goal of raising funds for Cancer Center patients.
The Stony Brook Cancer Center showed its appreciation to our dedicated community partners at the third annual “Above & Beyond” dinner in January.
The evening began with Dr. Yusuf Hannun, Director of the Cancer Center, who presented certificates of recognition to some of the center’s leading community partners and expressed our collective gratitude for their deep commitment to our patients and their families. University Hospital CEO Dr. Reuven Pasternak, COO Carol Gomes, and Cancer Center Interim Associate Director, Jeannie Gaspard RN, MS joined Dr. Hannun in celebrating the contributions of each honoree. The honorees spoke with great passion and purpose about their motivations for their efforts.
Rosa Nouvini, a current medical resident at Stony Brook Medicine, described adopting a family for the holidays and explained how that simple act in turn spurred her desire to plan more activities with the patients. Elizabeth Reagan and Katie Lynch, two current medical students, shared how their love of music lead them to play for the oncology patients and how that experience reinforced their commitment to practice medicine with compassion and empathy. Jamie Leonard, a student in the undergraduate honors college, spoke about founding the SBU chapter of Camp Kesem, a national organization that runs free summer camps for kids affected by their parents’ cancer. Inspired and moved by Jamie’s efforts, co-honoree, Brian Barton generously offered to sponsor a camper for this upcoming summer. Barton was himself there to be recognized with his wife Theresa for providing free transportation to chemotherapy patients; the Barton’s are co-owners of Penney’s Car Care in St. James. Renee Lynn Scott, founder of Stepping Stone Support and member of the Cancer Center’s Advisory Board, explained the ethos of giving back and sharing, which compels her organization to adopt several Cancer Center families during the holidays.
The beauty and strength of community partner’s commitment was perhaps most profoundly illustrated by the youngest of our honorees that evening, middle school students Ally Cierski and Grace Colletti. The two ran a lemonade stand with the singular goal of raising funds for Cancer Center patients. And they plan to continue in their wonderful work this year.
These moving stories made the evening a true chance for our community partners to connect and celebrate the difference they have made in the lives of our patients and their families. Perhaps Mary Briney, a cancer survivor and volunteer, summed it up best, “It is an honor and privilege to work with the patients; we all get back way more than we give.”