PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Daniel Falkson, Resident, on Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Expansion
3:00:48
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127 sec
Daniel Falkson, a local resident, testified in support of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's (MSK) expansion project. He emphasized the importance of MSK as a world-class cancer treatment center and the need for NYC to continue growing and innovating in medical sciences.
- Shared personal connections to cancer patients and the increasing cancer rates among younger people
- Argued that the neighborhood can support the project and that change is necessary for progress
- Stressed the importance of NYC remaining a leader in medical innovation and not yielding to other cities
Daniel Falkson
3:00:48
Hi.
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I'm a resident I live at 82nd in York.
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I'm not a cancer patient, but I have Crohn's disease.
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I'm at an increased risk later in life.
3:00:58
Also mentioned I'm becoming a new father in the next 5 or 6 weeks with a daughter on the way.
3:01:03
You know, I had a close friend of my wife who had a very rare liver cancer get consultation there.
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Before she died in her thirties, I also have a friend and a colleague both diagnosed with breast cancer.
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They were both under 4 feet.
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Very sad cases, but places like MSK are doing research and treating people like this.
3:01:26
And the fact that I, as still a pretty young person, all these people getting cancer, I think, it cords with MSK's presentation on cancer rates over time.
3:01:36
I think it's an absolute treasure in the city as a whole.
3:01:39
It's hard to think of institutions that are more emblematic of what NYC is about, human development progress, bringing us into the future.
3:01:48
I don't think it's good when people are fighting against the expansion of a world class cancer treatment center.
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And you maybe need to ask yourself if that's really the argument you want to be making.
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I think the neighborhood's well appointed.
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It can support the project.
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Yes.
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It requires construction.
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Things need to be built.
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We we can't keep the neighborhood frozen in amber and have it unchanged forever.
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Buildings do need to go up.
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They need to be changed.
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They need to be torn down over time.
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I still care about NYC kind of being a shining city on a hill, an example to the rest of the country, how do we grow, how do we adapt to be a cultural driver, and that includes the medical sciences.
3:02:28
Otherwise, we just seed that to other cities that do choose to grow such institutions and keep innovating.
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We can't have constant intransigence and pushback against any changes in our neighborhoods.
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So I support this expansion.
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I think it's great that we have a you know, bigger cancer treatment facility, more to the point, if there's more space to treat cancer patients.
UNKNOWN
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The top is about why it
Daniel Falkson
3:02:52
needs a better quality of life for those patients.