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PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Testimony by Daniel Falkson, Resident, on Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Expansion

3:00:48

·

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.
3:00:49
I'm a resident I live at 82nd in York.
3:00:53
I'm not a cancer patient, but I have Crohn's disease.
3:00:55
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.
3:01:11
Before she died in her thirties, I also have a friend and a colleague both diagnosed with breast cancer.
3:01:17
They were both under 4 feet.
3:01:20
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.
3:01:56
And you maybe need to ask yourself if that's really the argument you want to be making.
3:02:00
I think the neighborhood's well appointed.
3:02:02
It can support the project.
3:02:03
Yes.
3:02:04
It requires construction.
3:02:05
Things need to be built.
3:02:07
We we can't keep the neighborhood frozen in amber and have it unchanged forever.
3:02:12
Buildings do need to go up.
3:02:13
They need to be changed.
3:02:15
They need to be torn down over time.
3:02:18
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.
3:02:35
We can't have constant intransigence and pushback against any changes in our neighborhoods.
3:02:41
So I support this expansion.
3:02:44
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
3:02:51
The top is about why it
Daniel Falkson
3:02:52
needs a better quality of life for those patients.
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