Beating cancer gets a giant boost on Miami Beach, thanks to generous locals | Editorial
This story has been updated to reflect that the Bramans’ are contributing an undisclosed amount toward the construction of the new $250 million cancer treatment facility .
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber gave an impressive State of City speech Monday morning - announcing a cultural renaissance that he hopes will transform Miami Beach away from being simply an entertainment center.
But before he got started with his speech at the New World Center in Miami Beach, Gelber announced to the crowd a significant gift to the residents of Miami Beach by local billionaire Norman Braman and his wife, Irma.
The mayor announced that the Bramans are making an undisclosed donation for the construction of a $250 million modern cancer treatment center. Yes, Mount Sinai already has a nationally-recognized program, but the Bramans’ gift puts the war on cancer on steroids in South Florida, where so many individuals are fighting for their lives.
“We just want to improve cancer care in our community. That’s the reason we’re doing this. We care about this community where we have lived for over 45 years,” Norman Braman told the Editorial Board on Monday. And this is not only for Miami Beach, he added, but for our entire area. “It’s for everybody.”
What a wonderful gift.
Braman is a billionaire car dealer, art collector and former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. According to Forbes magazine, Braman was worth nearly $3 billion as of 2021. The Bramans are well-known in Miami-Dade philanthropic circles.
But their creation of this center will help people at, possibly, the most difficult time of their lives.
”This commitment will have an inestimable impact on not simply the availability and access to care, but it will also improve the quality of cancer treatment people receive,” Gelber later told the Editorial Board.
“The Braman Cancer Center will create the needed access to clinical expertise, robust support services, research, trials, and the newest technologies, all housed in an ultramodern facility, with exceptional views of Biscayne Bay,” a hospital news release announced. “Individuals will receive clinical and supportive care in a light-filled, spacious, healing environment centered on delivering an unparalleled patient experience.” There is even going to be a spa.
The new cancer treatment center building is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025, and that will be here in no time. We know the the Bramans have a long history of giving to the arts in Miami-Dade, although they also have been involved in breast cancer foundations and charities for a dozen years, Braman said.
We praise this couple’s great generosity to our community. They took a well-deserved bow at the State of the City. We give them another one here and thank them for making a significant difference.
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This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 9:57 AM.