You Don’t Have to Cross The Bridge

Cancer didn’t stand a chance against Elizabeth Brathwaite. With the help of her own indomitable spirit and The Brooklyn Cancer Center, Ms. Brathwaite saw the darkest day she had ever known turn into a bright future.

Ms. Brathwaite, a former clerk with District Council 37, New York City’s largest municipal public employee union, received her diagnosis in the summer of 2023: stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer, already spreading to her lymph system. “It was the worst day of my life,” she recalls.

She had already been a TBHC patient for many years. “I delivered my son there 28 years ago and received all my care at TBHC prior to my diagnosis,” she says. But when Cynthia Chen, DO, a TBHC breast cancer surgeon, referred her to Shahzaib Nabi, MD, an oncologist at The Brooklyn Cancer Center, Ms. Brathwaite was surprised to learn that the hospital was a partner in one of the finest cancer treatment facilities in the city — and it was just a couple of blocks from TBHC.

The first time Ms. Brathwaite entered The Brooklyn Cancer Center at 86 Fleet Place at the corner of Myrtle Avenue, she was thrilled. “It was like, ‘Wow! I like this,’” she says. “From the security guard to the receptionist, the people were so pleasant. Cancer is a traumatic experience, and they helped me deal with it. Plus, it was wonderful getting such great care without the inconvenience of going to Manhattan,” she says.

From the very beginning, Ms. Brathwaite knew the staff and doctors were listening to her. They were committed to leading her seamlessly through chemotherapy and back to Dr. Chen at TBHC for surgery to remove the tumor. The nine-month process was filled with the expected ups, downs and challenges, but her positive outlook and her doctors’ support never wavered.

“Before surgery, thanks to the chemotherapy, the tumor had shrunk from the size of my thumb to something they could only see with difficulty,” she says. “After surgery, I felt stronger and hopeful!” Now, almost a year later, there is no sign of cancer, and Ms. Brathwaite has joined the growing number of people in the community who see The Brooklyn Hospital Center AND The Brooklyn Cancer Center and ask, “Why go elsewhere?”