It’s a perfect May night at the Plaza Hotel, high fashion weather, and the women behind the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Ball – MSK Society President Claudia Taylor Overstrom, Virgina W. Tomenson (I call her Gina), Marcie Pantzer, Lisa Errico, Joline Stemerman and Sarah Wetenhall – swan into the Grand Ballroom, dripping in GRAFF jewels, a sponsor of the night with UBS and Oscar de la Renta. I see the always-chic Lauren Santo Domingo. “I only go to black tie things two time a year,” she tells me. The MSK Spring Ball is one of them.
The Gilded Age is back, and the uniform tonight is Oscar de la Renta’s flowers and frills. In the packed room I run into Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Travis Acquavella, Sai De Silva, Meghan Klopp, Alexandra Lind Rose, Brittany Bromley, and Elizabeth Kurpis. The Swans of today at the Plaza: Truman Capote would be in heaven. I sit with the beautiful, popular DJ Pamela Tick and Susan Magrino, the public relations guru. “The food at the Plaza is always good,” Susan says. “It’s the best on the benefit circuit.” She’s right and seeing as I came straight from the Equinox, I devour steak and risotto and it’s way better than the usual charity dinner grub (which usually tastes like airline food in business class).
Claudia Overstrom introduces Dr. Shanu Modi and this year’s initiative “Innovations to Transform Breast Cancer Treatment and Outcomes.” Dr. Modi is a rockstar in research and treatment – advancing next-generation anti-HER2 therapies for breast cancer, integrating innovative liquid biopsy tools for earlier detection and developing novel adaptive trials designs to overcome treatment resistance. Dr. Modi aims not just to manage the disease, but to eliminate it entirely. My friend Lydia Fenet, the author and auctioneer extraordinaire, takes the mic and with her signature wit, humor and endless social style and savvy, gets everyone in the room pledging buckets of cash to the tune of $680,000. The Society raises over $2.3 million for the whole evening. Dr. Modhi beams. As they say: F breast cancer! – PETER DAVIS
