Thanks to everyone’s generosity we raised $10,100 for the Straub family!! Please check out our photos from the event.

THE WINNERS ARE:

$5 Baskets

50/50

Joy Zaccara

Baskets

ALL PROCEEDS FROM HARVEST FEST WILL GO TO THE STRAUB FAMILY

Jay and Kat have been fortunate enough that their insurance has covered a majority of the medical costs so far, which is a blessing. However, Jay has a long road ahead as his treatment includes many months of chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant. With unpredictability of treatment, comes unpredictable medical costs. In addition, their financial bills continue to mount as Jay is no longer able to work and Kat has exhausted her sick leave.  Although she is able to use FMLA days to care for Jay on the days that he is home, these are unpaid.  Once these days run out, she will have to pay the full cost for medical insurance.This year’s Harvest Fest will go to help the Straub Family. This past October, Jay and Kat received devastating news. Jay was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) and in January, he was admitted to Memorial Sloane Kettering Hospital in Manhattan. Needless to say, this was shocking and life changing news for Jay and Kat. Jay and his wife Kathleen live in Stony Brook, Long Island with their two young daughters, Lucy (age 7) and Maggie (age 3).  Since Jay announced his diagnosis, friends and family have come forward to support him and his family in many ways.  This page was created so that others could show their support and hopefully, lift the burden on this precious family.

STRAUB FAMILY UPDATE (9/14/18)

Jay finally came home recently from his treatments. He has been in this past round for 142 days. The Straub family is overjoyed that he is back home where he belongs. With that joy also comes fear. The first year for a Leukemia stem cell survivor is very fragile and often predicts long term survival. Jay is able to leave the house and is even planning on going back to work soon (in a more secluded position). He is not “allowed” to be crowds and will need to wear a mask and gloves when going out in public. He will also have weekly blood work done at MSK in the city and will have bone marrow extracted from his spine every 3 months for the next two years to be sure the cancer keeps its ugly self away. Jay and his family are very aware that this battle is not over and are blessed and grateful for each and every moment they have together.

The Straub family has very generously asked to share half the proceeds of this event to the Hope Lodge. This “halfway house” provided Jay a safe place to live when he could not be more than 20 min from the hospital. Since opening in 2007, Hope Lodge has welcomed over 15,000 guests totaling more than 147,000 nights of free lodging, a cost savings to cancer patients of over $51 million!

At Hope Lodge New York City, they understand that undergoing treatment for cancer can be a very daunting experience. For many, treatment at New York City’s medical centers provides the greatest hope, but requires that they are far from home, adding the additional burden of lodging expenses. That is why the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Jerome L. Greene Family Center offers lodging at no cost for cancer patients being treated in and around Manhattan.