A center where cutting-edge research and compassion are inseparable and stronger than diagnosis.

A center where cutting-edge research and compassion are inseparable and stronger than diagnosis.
During the pre-holiday period, as a journalist for the newspaper "R.Reklama," I went to congratulate the staff and patients of the Maimonides Cancer Center in Brooklyn.
Upon entering the center, a detail catches your eye, creating a special, almost surreal atmosphere: visitors are greeted by smiling staff and an exhibition of paintings created by patients during art classes. Nearby, there's an antique piano, Hanukkah candles, a festively decorated Christmas tree, and gifts brought by Santa Claus and caring individuals, neatly stacked under the branches. This is a space where serious science, cutting-edge research, and human compassion coexist inseparably.
The center's medical director is world-class oncologist and hematologist Dr. Susan Burdette-Radoux of Maimonides Medical Center, who has assembled a truly unique team that combines impeccable professionalism with a rare sense of humanity.
Next to her is her assistant, Dr. Yan Pronin, a highly qualified specialist with an amazingly warm personality. The center employs many doctors whose daily, dedicated work deserves our sincere gratitude.
In our country, a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence, but in this ongoing fight for life, every detail matters.
But there are also those who are rarely mentioned in articles, although it is impossible to imagine a single day of treatment without them. These are the nurses in oncology departments, whose caring hands know how to work precisely and carefully so as not to damage the veins, which become fragile during chemotherapy.
At Brooklyn Cancer Center, a humble man, Registered Nurse, Hematology-Oncology Gennady Vornovitsky, is well known. He locates the most complex veins, turning his vital work into a true art, becoming a reliable support for doctors and patients. Alongside him, Registered Nurse, Hematology-Oncology Sofia Kuperman, is a sensitive, attentive, and truly dedicated specialist, like many of her colleagues.
I sincerely thank everyone who helped me carry out this important event, express my gratitude to the center's staff, and present certificates and honorary trophies to a man with a big heart—Gennady Vornovitsky.
With deep appreciation, I express my sincere gratitude to Senator Steve Chan and his Senior Advisor, Ari Kagan, for the honor and presentation of the certificate of honor to Gennady Vornovitsky; to Eduard Luchin, President of the Association of Sports Veterans, for the trophy; to Assembly Member Mikhail Novakhov for presenting the certificate of honor; and to Leonora Bulycheva, President of Aelita Club, for her comprehensive support.
Special thanks to everyone who donates to cancer research and who brings joy to the children in the pediatric oncology department. These days, it's especially important for children to believe in miracles, to feel warmth and care, to let laughter ring out and hope live within these walls.
I spoke to one of the patients in the pediatric department, and his words touched me deeply:
"I have everything—my parents love me and do everything they can for me. But when the gifts were brought into the ward, I unwrapped them and thought: how nice it is to have guests."
To everyone battling cancer or who has a relative who is ill, I wish you remission and good luck. And may 2026 bring you the miracles we ask of the Almighty.
Marina Lagunova