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Entrepreneur Mike Repole is giving back to his home community with a $16 million gift to NewYork-Presbyterian to transform cancer care for all in New York City’s most diverse borough.

The new Nonna’s Garden Foundation Infusion Center, with a planned opening in 2027, is a gift to the thousands of patients who come to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens for cancer care and other infusions.

Mike, who lives in Florida now, still proudly refers to himself publicly as “Mike from Queens.” He attended St. Margaret’s Grammar School, Holy Cross High School, and graduated from St. John’s University, and often credits his upbringing in Queens as a key factor in his success. He has never forgotten his Queens roots and wants to give back to the Queens community.

The new light-filled, 9,000-square-foot infusion center, with peaceful views overlooking Flushing Meadows Corona Park, will help address the growing need for cancer services in Queens and offer an exceptional experience and world-class care from Weill Cornell Medicine physicians.

The Nonna’s Garden Foundation is named for Mike’s beloved Nonna, which means grandmother in Italian.

For Mike, ensuring the delivery of exceptional health care to all is deeply personal. When Nonna was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma at age 79, doctors gave her three months to live. But thanks to a successful clinical trial, Nonna was able to live for 15 years past her diagnosis, until her passing at 93 years old in 2020.

Now, the Nonna’s Garden Foundation, founded by Mike in her honor, is expanding access to exceptional health care for patients in Queens and beyond.

The foundation shares NewYork-Presbyterian’s commitment to expanding access to cutting-edge care. Dr. Jedd Wolchok, Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, oversees the cancer program at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, which is steadily expanding, and has worked closely with Mike to develop the vision for the new infusion center.

“Nonna always taught me to help others and to give people what they want in life, and you will get what you want,” said Mike Repole. “We know the Nonna's Garden Foundation Infusion Center will help so many people in Queens get outstanding cancer care from Dr. Wolchok and his extraordinary team, all in one place, while staying close to home."

“This beautiful new infusion center will allow us to deliver an exceptional patient experience and expand access to care,” said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and chief executive officer of NewYork-Presbyterian. “We are deeply grateful to Mike and the Nonna’s Garden Foundation for their continuing commitment to improving the health of our patients and the Queens community.”

“We are committed to providing world-class cancer care to the Queens community and providing access to the latest advances in treatment, so that patients can receive the care they need close to home,” said Dr. Wolchok. “We thank Mike and the Nonna’s Garden Foundation for their incredible support and generosity.”

NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, nearly 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.

A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is affiliated with two renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.

Founded 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR.

NewYork-Presbyterian’s 50,000 employees and affiliated physicians are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to New Yorkers and patients from across the country and around the world.

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