Milana Family Foundation – 4th Annual Golf & Poker Event

by | Jun 28, 2019 | Featured, Philanthropy

Photos by the Milana Family Foundation

On Monday, June 10th, the Milana Family Foundation hosted its 4th annual Golf & Poker Event at Fresh Meadow Country Club in Lake Success, NY in support of Man Cave Health.

Man Cave Health was established after Tom Milana Jr. was unexpectedly diagnosed with prostate cancer after a routine doctor visit in November 2015. Luckily, Milana received robotic surgery and is cancer-free today, but the events of his diagnosis and journey to recovery left him with the realization that men’s healthcare is often neglected and not emphasized.

It is considerably uncommon for men to speak about their medical conditions. Research shows that men are societally conditioned to not show stress, emotions or feelings starting when they are children. Even male athletes feel pressured to push through their pain and injuries in competitive sports, and this often leads to ignoring symptoms of diseases that may occur later in life. Taking all of this into account, the Milana Family Foundation created Man Cave Health, which is a unique patient care model that combines educational resources, emotional support and the latest in medical technology within a space where men feel comfortable talking about their health.

Adriana & Tom Milana

Man Cave Health says that “men take better care of their cars than they do their bodies,” so the organization is creating sports-themed facilities to help treat the estimated 2.9 million men with prostate cancer in the country. Their facilities replace the clinical setting of a typical doctor’s office with a luxurious waiting area with “masculine décor,” which includes items from local sports teams, flat-screened televisions, leather seating and coffee bars along with educational resources on prostate health. Mount Sinai Health System in New York revealed the first official Man Cave at its Midtown urology practice, and numerous more “Man Caves” will be created as time passes.

Man Cave’s 4th annual Golf & Poker event began with free Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) screenings by Bioreference Laboratories Inc. and GenPath for its attendees, which is not typical for an event like this. Golfers enjoyed delicious food and drinks as the day continued. Even as rain poured down, the men at the event shared laughs and talked business/sports. The evening ended with dinner accompanied by a Trump impersonator who caused an eruption of laughter from his audience.

“We are extremely thankful to have had BioReference Laboratories Inc. and GenPath participate and provide complimentary, on-site PSA testing to all participants of our event,” said Milana. “We are grateful for our friends, family, sponsors and advocates who support us in our mission to bring awareness to Man Cave Health and our goal to save lives. All of our guests had a great time and we look forward to our next event.”

Giulia Milana

“I’m so proud that my family had the vision to launch the first Man Cave Health in Mount Sinai this year, and I know that this will be the first of many,” said Milana’s daughter Giulia. “My father is fortunate to be a prostate cancer survivor and I’m confident that he will do everything in his power to spread awareness and save lives.”

For more information visit www.mancavehealth.org. You can also engage on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Downtown Magazine