Northport's Handler Hope Foundation Donates $25K For Breast Cancer Research; Raises $7.9K

HUNTINGTON, NY — The Handler Hope Foundation donated funds toward breast cancer research, raised thousands of dollars more, and threw a party for Huntington Hospital staff at its second annual "A Night Out With 1 North" event on Aug. 17.

The Northport foundation donated $25,000 to Northwell Health for the Lauren Handler research fund for breast cancer, raised more than $7,900, and celebrated the staff of Huntington Hospital's Cancer Center, 1 North, at Repeal XVIII in Huntington.

"It was a great night where we got to show our appreciation to the cancer center staff for taking care of our communities' cancer patients as well as raise money for breast cancer research," Darren Handler, founder of the nonprofit, told Patch.

Raffles with prizes including holiday lights, diamond jewelry and a trip to Orlando, Florida, were available.

You may donate to the Handler Hope Foundation here if you would like.

Lauren Handler was a wife and mother who died on May 19, 2022, at the age of 38, after battling HER2-positive estrogen negative breast cancer for more than two years.

Her husband, Darren Handler, started the Handler Hope Foundation to raise funds for research into two common breast cancers.

The fund partners with Northwell Health to propel the research efforts of Chief of Neurosurgery Dr. Robert Gawley Kerr and Chief of Radiation Medicine Dr. Heather Zinken. Kerr spoke to the crowd at the night out about the breast cancer research, its importance, and the progress made.

The Handler Hope Foundation awarded the 1 North nursing staff the DAISY Foundation's DAISY Team Award. The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by members of the family of Patrick Barnes, who died at 33 of complications of the auto-immune disease ITP. The Barnes family wanted to do something positive to honor Patrick. They came up with DAISY, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. DAISY Team Awards can be presented to groups of at least two people.

The night out, hosted by the Handler Hope Foundation, was sponsored by Huntington Hospital Northwell Health, Surf Clean Energy, Nolan Funeral Home, ExoClean Powerwashing, N&S Electrical Supply and Lighting, and Badanes Law Firm.

The Handler Hope Foundation is asking people to join its team at the Great Cow Harbor 10K Run and 2K Fun Run, scheduled for Sept. 23. People can join the Handler Hope Foundation team on the Great Cow Harbor website.

Lauren Handler was declared cancer free months after her initial diagnosis in May 2020. Before and after her cancer free designation, she asked for brain scans to be sure the cancer was gone. Her doctors assured her a brain scan was not warranted and there was no need to expose her to the radiation of imaging scans, the foundation wrote on its website.

Lauren, not feeling well in November 2020, visited the emergency room. She did not return home for a few months after a mass in her brain was discovered.

She faced several surgeries and needed intensive physical and occupational therapy. The home care services she received were inadequate, the foundation wrote.

In May 2022, imaging showed cancer throughout her brain.

"There was no reasonable or humane path forward to continue treating Lauren," the foundation wrote. "...It would be wrong to say that Lauren lost her battle with cancer because she never stopped fighting. No matter how sick she was, she was always fiercely determined. When anyone else would have broken, Lauren stayed strong. Through her, we know what resilience and perseverance truly look like. There are no words that can properly express how tragic and unfair this is. Such a bright, beautiful woman should not have been taken from this world at such a young age. We will continue our mission in her memory to help others fight as ferociously as she did."