Survivors Park in Commack to honor those who have survived breast cancer

The first phase of construction of a Commack park dedicated to those who have survived their battle with breast cancer is planned to start this spring.

Plans are underway for the building of Survivors Park within Valmont Park. Roughly $135,000 has been raised for the first phase of the park's design through donations from the Town of Smithtown and businesses, according to the town and the Greater Commack Chamber of Commerce.

The first phase — expected to be completed around September, according to Nicole Garguilo, Smithtown’s public information officer — will include a pathway shaped in the form of a cancer awareness ribbon, which will create an entrance near the Valmont Park playground.

The second phase will include benches, landscaping with cherry blossom trees and native flowers, and a reflection pool. No timetable for completion or cost estimates are available yet for that phase, according to Garguilo.

The idea: 'I did it for her'

The idea for the park came from Tom Morrissey, co-founder of the Greater Commack Chamber of Commerce. In an interview with Newsday, Morrissey said the chamber in 2023 had put together a group to brainstorm ideas that could help Commack stand out from other communities.

At the time, his wife, Gina Morrissey, 58, a breast cancer survivor, had to endure a double mastectomy, and watching the toll her treatment and recovery had taken inspired him to suggest creating a tribute at the park for survivors of the disease.

"I never in my life thought it would take on a life of its own like this," Tom Morrissey said. "I just thought it would help put Commack on the map in a positive way and it would help survivors ... I did it for her."

After Morrissey approached town officials about the idea, the first phase was funded in part through a partnership between the town and St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown. The hospital donated $50,000 toward the project with the town matching it.

Other donations from businesses brought the total raised to roughly $135,000 of the $200,000 fundraising goal. A ceremony was held in October at the park to commemorate the unveiling of a special sign with park plans. More information on the park is available on the Commack chamber's website, commackchamber.com. 

A fight for life and hope

Dr. Jana Deitch, a breast surgeon and director of the Siena Breast Health Program at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, said Long Island typically has higher incidence of breast cancer. The disease is more common on the Island than it is nationally, Newsday has previously reported, citing New York State Cancer Registry statistics. And according to the state Department of Health website, "It is estimated that one in eight females will develop breast cancer during their life."

Survivors and patients are glad, Deitch said, "to have a place to be able to recognize the importance of breast cancer awareness ... and for family members to maybe connect to their lost family members."

From 2017 to 2021, the age-adjusted mortality rate for breast cancer in Suffolk County was 16.6 per 100,000 women, and 17.4 per 100,000 women in Nassau County, according to statistics from the state Department of Health.

Gina Morrissey, who grew up on the block next to Valmont Park, said for her, the new park represents hope for a future for those who had to fight for their lives against the illness.

"We can still honor people who are gone. I’ve lost many people to breast cancer, including family members, but I don’t see [the park] in a sad way," she said. "I see it as a place to rejoice and be able to reflect on it, but to know that there is a future for people who are diagnosed as we speak, and to know they have a future."

Leslie Drake, 72, of Central Islip, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed a year ago, said she was "overjoyed" the park was being built. She hoped it could bring more awareness to the need for funding cancer research.

"I can go there with my children and grandchildren and it can be a reminder to everyone that ... we need better diagnostics for everybody," Drake said.