Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

04/03/2026

Tyler Duda, a pilot for United Airlines and childhood cancer survivor, recently traded the flight deck for our hospital halls to visit patients at MSK Kids, the pediatric cancer program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).

From handing out plane badges to sharing stories from 30,000 feet, Tyler is a living reminder that a diagnosis is just a single chapter, not the whole story.

Swipe through for a few photos of the visit. ✈️

03/31/2026

Constipation. Blood in her stool. Fatigue. All symptoms that wouldn’t go away and that were easy for Lindsay to dismiss as related to her pregnancy. At 37 years old, and 34 weeks pregnant with her third child, they turned out to be something far more serious: metastatic colorectal cancer.

“My initial thought was, ‘I can’t have cancer, I have kids to take care of,” Lindsay says. Ten days after her daughter was born, she underwent surgery to remove the primary tumor and had an ileostomy placed. At her first meeting with her local oncologist, she was told about a treatment option offered by MSK that might address the lesions in her liver, where the cancer had spread. She chose to be courageous and transferred her care to MSK where, hepatopancreatobiliary surgeon Dr. Kevin Soares and gastrointestinal medical oncologist Dr. Alice Zervoudakis, moved quickly to create a personalized treatment plan.

After completing four rounds of systemic chemotherapy, she had surgery in April 2023 to place a hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) pump and remove part of her liver. She continued chemo, followed by a second liver resection and a reversal of her ileostomy. For Lindsay, it wasn’t just the treatment she received that stood out, it was the people. “Every person I encountered at MSK made me feel truly seen,” she says.

When Lindsay finished her treatment in March 2024, Dr. Zervoudakis told her she was able to go on a chemo break. Afterwards, Lindsay walked outside and saw a double rainbow in the sky...a moment she’ll never forget.

Fast forward to today and Lindsay’s most recent scan shows no evidence of disease. Inspired by the support she received during treatment, Lindsay started a local support group for others impacted by cancer.

Lindsay says, “As heart-wrenching as it was to receive my diagnosis as a mother of three young children, it was also a blessing as they are my greatest motivation.” On a recent family camping trip, Lindsay reflected on how far she’s come: “I was joyful to be able to give my daughter a piggy-back while holding our pup on a leash, embodying the strength and vitality I once feared I may never have again.”

Leave a 🌈 in the comments for Lindsay!

03/31/2026

During Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, our teams across MSK connected with communities to share resources, encourage screening, and promote early detection.

At the Long Island Nets “Cross Up Cancer Night” in Uniondale, MSK colorectal surgeon Dr. Mohammad Ali Abbass and gastrointestinal oncologist Dr. Zoe Goldberg presented prevention and screening information during a pregame panel and were recognized for their commitment to community education.

We also joined Shiloh Baptist Church in New Rochelle, where MSK gastrointestinal medical oncologist Dr. Fiyinfolu Balogun, clinical trials nurse Gail Panton, mind-body instructor Malik Caldwell, and registered dietitian-nutritionist Katrina Hartog, shared information on colorectal cancer screening, prevention, health disparities, and clinical trials with Shiloh Baptist Church members.

These efforts reflect our commitment to improving cancer care for the communities we serve. We're grateful to everyone who showed up, shared their stories, and helped us spread awareness.

Swipe through for a recap from this month's events. ➡️

03/31/2026

For Samantha, the road to her senior year of high school took an unexpected turn in March 2025. What began as persistent discomfort turned out to be stage 4 kidney cancer called CIC:DUX4 fusion-positive sarcoma that had metastasized to her lungs.

Samantha’s care team at MSK Kids, including MSK pediatric oncologist Dr. Michael Ortiz, MSK nurse practitioner Talia Sauerhaft and MSK pediatric surgeon Dr. Enrico Danzer, quickly developed an approach for her treatment, which first started with removing one o***y to preserve future fertility.

"On paper, the odds were stacked against me," she remembers.

Within weeks, she moved from Albany into her aunt’s apartment in the city and traded her school schedule for aggressive and immediate chemotherapy. A few months later, her left kidney was removed as well as 38 lymph nodes. The METS in her lungs were shrinking and by the time she had lung surgery in June 2025, all of the METS were dead. She continued chemotherapy through August 2025 and then received 10 rounds of chest radiation.

In September 2025, her scans showed no evidence of disease (NED).

Orange, which is Samantha’s favorite color, is also kidney cancer awareness month’s chosen color. "It was meant to be,” Samantha says. And next fall, Samantha is adding more orange to her life and attending Syracuse University to pursue a career as a child life specialist.

"Even though I had to go through this, it was a calling for me," she says. "I want to be the one to tell others: You're going to be okay. I’m going to help you through this."

Today, Samantha, 17, is currently still receiving maintenance chemotherapy and will have final scans and get her port removed in July 2026. In her free time, she attends dance class 3-4 times a week and participates in frequent competitions—including solos that are dedicated to the journey that proved her own strength. 🧡

03/31/2026

For more than 140 years, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has been a global leader in cancer research and scientific discovery.

Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter, MSK Discoveries, to stay up to date with the latest research news — from clinical innovations to foundational biological insights: https://bit.ly/4tnsxAP

03/30/2026

They say that every doctor was once a child who wanted to help, and every scientist was once a child who never stopped asking "why?".

Today, those kids are just a few of our MSK doctors and scientists who are helping cancer patients every day.

Happy Doctors' Day! Reshare the image that resonates the most with you. 💙

03/27/2026

03/27/2026

At just 34, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Today, she’s a 3-time survivor and is using her voice to help others.

In this powerful Today Show segment, MSK's gastrointestinal medical oncologist Dr. Andrea Cercek joins MSK patient Jennifer Lava to share why colorectal cancer is rising in younger adults and why listening to your body and speaking up could save your life. Watch the full story: https://on.today.com/4uWyaaG

Three-time colon cancer survivor, Jennifer Lava joins TODAY to share her remarkable of first being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 34 — and then two more times after that. Lava admits that when she first received her diagnosis, she knew “very little to nothing” about colorectal canc...

03/27/2026

Our Child Life Specialists (CLS) are the experts in clinical calm and the masters of distraction. At MSK, they make sure the road to recovery includes plenty of room for joy. ✨

🕗 Here, join Beth, an MSK CLS, for a her day in the life.

03/27/2026

So you saw blood in your 💩...Now what?

MSK gastrointestinal medical oncologist Dr. Michael Foote explains what it could mean and when it might be a sign of something more serious, like colorectal cancer.

Watch to learn what signs to look out for and when to get checked. For more info, visit: https://bit.ly/4caq8n2

03/26/2026

Hear from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Chief Scientific Officer and a proud Cycle for Survival participant, Ross Levine, MD, as he explains how this community powers lifesaving progress.

"One of the clearest examples of your impact is the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP), which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. HOPP is an incubator for novel cancer therapies. With one foot in the lab and one in the clinic, HOPP investigators bridge the critical gap between scientific breakthroughs and the people with rare cancers who urgently need new options.

"Thanks to funding from Cycle for Survival, HOPP can rapidly advance promising discoveries into early‑phase clinical trials and help develop a new standard of care for cancers that have long lacked effective treatments.

"This sustained investment reflects our shared commitment to fundamentally changing what’s possible for people facing rare cancers. But our work is far from finished.

"As I think ahead to the next 20 years, continued support from the Cycle for Survival community is what will keep bold ideas moving forward at HOPP and across MSK. Every dollar you raise ensures that progress never slows down.

"Thank you for being part of this movement — and for helping transform the future for patients everywhere. I know that together, we can beat rare cancers." —Ross Levine, MD

03/25/2026

Women's History Month Employee Spotlight | MSK senior gift officer Cate Barber got her start in healthcare as a little girl making rounds through her father’s medical office, asking his colleagues if they’d like to buy Girl Scout cookies. He was a doctor, and those memories — the warmth of the staff and the sense that lives were being saved daily — shaped her future path.

At Colgate University, Cate helped lead a campus initiative to bring free menstrual products to all bathrooms by founding a club, hosting speakers, and raising donations through her university’s development office. “Watching a $500 gift turn into stocked women’s bathrooms showed me exactly what donations could do,” she shares.

At MSK, Cate partners with donors to fund cancer research, clinical trials, and patient care at MSK. But for her, the impact goes beyond fundraising.

“I’m able to fundraise for all these different initiatives that are constantly evolving — breast cancer research, urology, and so many other areas,” she shares. “You can really see the results of your work translated into how patients are treated and the outcomes they achieve.”

Through her work with donors, colleagues, and early-career professionals, Cate is helping build a future where more people feel seen, supported, and empowered.

When asked what Women's History Month means to her, Cate shares: "There are so many women who fought for seats at tables that weren't built for them, and because of that, we get to sit here today."