SIUH’s Northwell Health Walk: Florina Cancer Center’s waiting lounge to be dedicated to Alex Carr and Elvis Duran

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Sunday made for a great day for a walk — all for a greater cause.

Hundreds of walkers on Sunday morning, May 21, participated in Staten Island University Hospital’s 2023 Northwell Health Walk, an event that honored special guests Alex Carr and his husband, Elvis Duran, of Z-100′s Elvis Duran and the Morning Show.

Carr, a cancer survivor, and this year’s patient representative for the fundraising event, was honored with Duran, for the hundreds of thousands of dollars they have donated and raised for the Florina Cancer Center, whose waiting room will be dedicated in both their names.

“On behalf of Dr. Ardolic, our cancer team, and everyone at Staten Island University Hospital, it is our honor to recognition their selfless generosity, philanthropy, and commitment to keeping exceptional care close to home,” said Jamie Homan, Major Gifts Officer at Staten Island University Hospital, who addressed the crowd. “We will be dedicating the Family Waiting Lounge in the new Florina Cancer Center to Alex Carr and Elvis Duran.”

More than 500 walkers helped raise $94,465.00 and counting. In total, Northwell Health has raised over $1,042,098.80 for the walk. The money raised the walk stays on Staten Island to support the creation of the new Florina Cancer Center at Staten Island University Hospital, set to open at the end of this year.

“Around 30,000 hematology/oncology patients are diagnosed and treated at SIUH every year, making it one of the largest cancer programs in New York,” said Master of Ceremonies Vinnie Medugno, a billboard-charted artist, professional DJ, and host on 77 WABC. “With your support, the new center will be an all-inclusive facility that brings the best possible treatment to patients right in our neighborhood.

“And that includes Staten Island’s youngest patients, too, with a dedicated pediatric oncology unit where kids can be treated like kids, while still receiving groundbreaking care.”

The top individual fundraisers on Staten Island were Elizabeth Civiletti at $4,140, Jamie Homan at $2,875, and Karyn Treval at $1,855. The top teams on Staten Island were Miles for Miracles at $4,625, Walk This Way at $4,585, and Barbara’s Warriors at $4,445.

ALEX CARR’S CANCER JOURNEY

In August 2022, Alex Carr began to feel something wasn’t right with his body. His left testicle had become larger and firmer than the other. But it wasn’t until a few weeks later that he decided to see his doctor. After several tests & follow ups, it was determined that Alex had testicular cancer. “Cancer” was a word he never liked hearing, since he had also lost his father at a young age to the disease.

Many people told him “go to the city” for care, but even after receiving a second opinion, Alex knew he wanted to stay close to home for his treatments. He completed surgery to remove and replace his left testicle, but the battle wasn’t over yet.

Post-op CT scans showed the seminoma cancer had spread to a lymph node next to Alex’s left kidney and formed a cluster. Shortly after, Alex began chemotherapy treatments under the guidance of Dr. Bershadskiy and his team at Staten Island University Hospital’s Florina Cancer Center.

Throughout all of this, Alex was determined to turn his experience into something positive — something that would benefit all Staten Islanders in a borough with the highest rate of cancer. He began by creating a crowdfunding page which generated more than $51,000 for the new Florina Cancer Center while he was receiving treatments himself.

Then, in January of this year, Alex’s husband, Elvis, announced an additional donation to the center in the amount of $250,000.

FLORINA CANCER CENTER

At Staten Island University Hospital, we diagnose and treat approximately 30,000 hematology/oncology patients each year, making SIUH one of the largest cancer programs in the New York metropolitan area.

The new, state-of-the-art Florina Cancer Center to Staten Island University Hospital will bring every diagnostic and treatment advantage possible to our oncology patients and their families.

Within the Florina Cancer Center, a secluded pediatric oncology center will provide a space for kids to be treated like kids. The child-friendly environment providing a new state-of-the-art outpatient infusion suite and chemotherapy treatment center for children with cancer and blood related disorders.