Long Island Jewish Forest Hills (LIJFH) Hospital partnered with the American Cancer Society to hold a two-mile charity walk at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Oct. 16 that raised money to combat breast cancer. Several hospital employees and breast cancer survivors were among those who participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.
In the two months leading up to the walk, LIJFH was able to raise more than $7,000. The walk itself raised another $6,500.
One hospital worker who took part in the walk, Isa Claudio-Abdul, was among the many participants with personal stories connected to breast cancer. She had previously been diagnosed with it back in 2021. Despite her diagnosis, Claudio-Abdul continued her work as an administrator associate at another Northwell Health branch, Queens Medical Associates.
According to Claudio-Abdul, she had finished her treatment for breast cancer not long before the date of the event. She was also able to meet up with other breast cancer survivors, sharing their stories with each other.
“It was beautiful to see how much of the community came out,” Claudio-Abdul said. “It meant a lot to see a lot of people and organizations take part. There were some people there who I knew but didn’t realize they had also dealt with breast cancer.”
For Claudio-Abdul, a big part of her approach to staying in high spirits as she fought cancer was to keep planning for the days ahead. She looked forward to reaching each milestone along the way.
“The reality is you make those event plans and look forward to each step,” Claudio-Abdul said. “You got to keep pushing forward.”
