David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Today kicks off National Patient Transport Week. These #MSKHealthcareHeroes are instrumental in making sure our patients get from point A to point B safely. As Derek Farber, a manager in Nursing Support Services, says, "Even throughout these challenging times, our transport team continues to deliver a positive and safe patient experience." Leave a comment below to thank them for their kindness, courage and dedication!

How do you process finding out at 31 years old that you have breast cancer and that you will not be able to carry children? As Virginia Wettlaufer Tomenson says "you spend the rest of your life trying to make someone's tomorrow better than your yesterday." At 31, Gina was diagnosed with triple positive Stage III breast cancer after finding a lump in her breast during a workout class. Six months into a new relationship (with her now husband) the life of traveling for her caree...r, parties with friends and young fun love turned into chemotherapy, mastectomy, radiation and fertility preservation. "The speed at which everything was happening, the amount of information I was trying to consume and the physical toll that was being put on my body had me living for two years on adrenaline. As things started to slow down, I began to ask myself why this happened to me and I knew it was because I had to give back to those who would face what I would some day." Gina has not only become an active supporter of Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) by being a member of the Society and most recently the Chair of the Associates committee but also serving as a patient to patient advisor in MSK’s Patient & Caregiver Support Program and a patient advisor on MSK’s Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality (PFACQ). Outside of MSK, Gina took on two important legislative initiatives in New York State. First to ensure that fertility preservation for cancer patients would be covered by insurance, which was passed and went into effect January of this year. Secondly, surrogacy to become legal in New York State. Gina's daughter was born in Colorado and son in Georgia and she vowed to make this process easier for others. In January of 2021, surrogacy will be legal in NYS. Whether in the halls of MSK, on the streets of UES of Manhattan with her kids or in Albany - you will find Gina proudly looking to make tomorrow better than yesterday. #MSKPFACQSpotlight #MSKPFACQ #PFAC #patientengagement #breastcancerawarenessmonth #memorialsloankettering #breastcancer

This week, we were thrilled to celebrate the essential contributions of our Facilities Management team for National Health Care Facilities Management Week! This team has gone the extra mile during the pandemic (and always) to make sure our MSK community operates safely and efficiently. Leave a comment below to thank these dedicated #MSKHealthcareHeroes!

This #FeelGoodFriday is in honor of Suzette, who's on a mission to get through her #breastcancer treatment and inspire others with humor. She's a producer and founder of NYLaughs.org, a NYC comedy nonprofit and is also sharing content on her own social media to help others heal through laughter. Suzette also wants to use her platform to educate others on breast cancer among black women, who are 40% more likely to die than white women. Additionally, people of color experience... more illness, worse outcomes, and premature death compared to white people, and also face more obstacles for care. Suzette's Instagram is an intersection of info about breast cancer, support for communities of color, and of course, humor. Suzette says that while she is focused on getting through chemo and radiation, in addition to recently shaving her head, her main goal is "to make the path easier for anyone that comes after me." Thank you for the laughs and inspiration, Suzette!

October is #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, and for Snjezana, she uses this time to make people aware of more than just early-stage disease and pink ribbons. She is living with metastatic #breastcancer and wants to encourage everyone to educate themselves about it. As Snjezana says, her cancer story started in a somewhat classical way: girl takes shower, girl feels a lump, girl freaks out (well, I did), girl calls her ob-gyn. But after several recurrences, Snjezana has lots of ...valuable advice for others embarking on their own cancer journeys: get a second opinion, listen to your nurses, and try not to "sit at home anticipating side effects. Get about your life until and if they happen. Then adjust." Snjezana recently shared on her Facebook page a list of things that people can do for Breast Cancer Awareness Month beyond wearing pink, including donating to organizations that research metastatic breast cancer prevention and treatment, being thoughtful in the language that you choose to describe cancer (avoid "battle"), volunteering at your local cancer center, and reaching out to someone who's going through it to just listen. Above all, she wants people to know that for some women, breast cancer isn't about saving their breasts but their lives. Snjezana has a great story and a great sense of humor and we thank her for sharing both with us. Here's some parting wisdom from her: "Last but not least, take care of yourselves. Get that yearly physical, eat well, exercise, be kind to others, love somebody, find things to laugh about even when you don’t feel like it."

Treating liver cancer is a challenge because surgery isn't usually an option. However, a precise, minimally invasive approach called interventional radiology can treat smaller tumors by pinpointing their exact location. Patients tend to have fewer complications and recover faster. Learn more about it below. #LiverCancerAwarenessMonth https://bit.ly/31QOuOk

This year, respiratory therapists have been thrust into the spotlight as they've stepped up to save lives throughout the pandemic. During Respiratory Care Week, we're proud to recognize the respiratory therapists of MSK, who do everything from diagnosing lung and breathing disorders to analyzing specimens to managing ventilators and artificial airway devices. Let's give it up for these #MSKHealthcareHeroes!

"I'm a miracle. In all reality, I shouldn't be here." Marisa knew the prognosis for her #breastcancer wasn't good. But after being in a clinical trial at MSK Commack for several years, she has no sign of cancer. Read more in Newsday about why clinical trials are so important. https://nwsdy.li/3muL1wz

Today, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released draft recommendations stating adults should get screened for #colorectalcancer beginning at 45, not 50. Lately, more and more people under 50 are being diagnosed with colon and rectal cancers, which is why MSK opened the first of its kind Center for Young Onset Colorectal Cancer. Dr. Robin Mendelsohn, co-director of the center, shares why these new guidelines are important. https://bit.ly/35IYBFS

This week is Respiratory Care Weeka moment to recognize the contributions of our respiratory care professionals. This team has been absolutely instrumental throughout the pandemic, providing ventilator support in our expanded ICU as well as other respiratory support throughout the hospital. Please help us celebrate them by leaving a comment below! #MSKHealthcareHeroes

This #FeelGoodFriday, Michele is reflecting on her experience with #breastcancer and how far she's come. Leave a in the comments to cheer her on! #breastcancerawarenessmonth #bcam #bcsm #repost: What a journey it has been. You truly learn who is really there for you and who is not when you go through the scariest thing in your life. Live and learn, I always say. I never posted this video of the day I had to shave my head. I had a total of 18 rounds of chemo, a double maste...ctomy with reconstruction, 25 radiation treatments, my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed and exchange surgery to breast implants. This video is a reminder of how far I've come and I wanted to share it with all of you. Even if it inspires 1 person to keep fighting, to stay positive or to get themselves to the doctor to get checked out, I feel like I've done my job. I choose to embrace this second chance I've been given and live life to the fullest. I know I will still have my moments, after all I am only human. I will continue to be proactive and get checked regularly. Thank you to all my doctors and nurses @memorialsloankettering and to my family and friends. #staypositive #breastcancersurvivor #fighter #grateful #LittleMicheleStrong #thankful #thankyou #breastcancerawareness #roadtorecovery #cancerawareness #MemorialSloanKettering

"Breast cancer diagnoses are down over 50% now. That's not because cancer is quarantining or sheltering in place. It's because people aren't showing up for their screenings." This morning on The View , Elizabeth Comen shared why it's so important to NOT skip your mammograms, as well as three ways to help prevent breast cancer. #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth #BCAM https://bit.ly/3dNHt5s