Board members of the Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation travelled to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) on Thursday, October 27th, leaving smiles behind them after hosting a holiday party and distributing more than 400 toys at a pediatric unit at the hospital.
The visit was not only special for the children at the hospital. For the foundation’s President Mario Faulisi, it was also a wonderful day. Faulisi waited for the day he could give back to the hospital since being a patient there himself for the last several years.
Facing a rare and very aggressive lymphoma, he sought treatment at the hospital and became a patient of Dr. John Gerecitano.
Since that meeting, Faulisi says, he was determined to help the hospital and the doctor he credits with saving his life in any way he can.
“This is a wonderful day for me and my whole family,” Faulisi said. “To come here and make these children smile is something I would like to do every day. Dr. Gerecitano and this hospital gave me my life back. I could never do enough to say thank you.”
To that end, Faulisi says he is working to kick off the First Annual 2 Mile Cancer Walk being planned by the Foundation to benefit the MSK. If you would like to participate in the walk or volunteer contact the Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation at 718-641-3469 or Email.hbcolumbusday@gmail.com or visit our website HowardBeachColumbusDay.com
