Actor Jay Russell, Courtesy of Paper Mill Playhouse
Actors often call on their own experiences when developing a character for the stage. But few have the depth of understanding that 21-year head and neck cancer survivor Jay Russell brings to the role of Caesar Rodney in the musical 1776, playing at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, from Wednesday, April 1, to Saturday, May 2.
The Tony Award-winning show portrays the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Mr. Rodney, a delegate to the Continental Congress, struggled with his own cancer that affected his face throughout this period and eventually died of the disease. In what was arguably his most influential act, he cast a decisive vote for independence.
The actor’s cancer journey began in 2004, when he discovered a lump in his neck. Doctors at what was then called Beth Israel Medical Center took a biopsy, which showed squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer that can arise in the head and neck region. It had started in his right tonsil, then spread to the lymph nodes in his neck. Treatment included surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Due to the location of the tumor, Mr. Russell used a feeding tube, which led to a 40-pound weight loss.
“I’m an actor. I take direction well, so I did everything they said to do,” he says. He was back at work about 11 months after the start of treatment. “They took excellent care of me.”
The treatment was successful, and more than two decades later he remains cancer-free. (And in that time, the hospital became Mount Sinai Beth Israel, which closed in 2025.)
“There’s some asymmetry to my face and I sometimes have difficulty swallowing, but my speaking and singing voice came through unscathed,” says Mr. Russell, who has since performed on- and off-Broadway, on national tours and regional theatres, and on film and television.
We know less about Caesar Rodney’s medical story back in the 18th century. There was no effective treatment for his cancer at that time, though reports indicate that a doctor operated on his nose, leaving him disfigured. According to reports, he rarely went out in public without a green scarf covering part of his face.
But he didn’t let his illness stand in his way. Mr. Rodney served as an officer in the Delaware militia, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and governor of Delaware. His history-making moment came when the Continental Congress was voting on whether to declare independence from Britain. At that point, Mr. Rodney was in Dover, Delaware. The other two Delaware delegates were at an impasse in Philadelphia; one delegate was against declaring independence, the other for it. They needed someone to break the tie and get a “yes” vote from Delaware.
Mr. Russell (back row, fourth from right) with the cast of the musical 1776. Photo credited to Rebecca J Michelson.
In the film version of 1776, Mr. Rodney was back home recuperating from his disease; the film portrays him as a frail, elderly man. But the historical record suggests that he was in his late 40s, pragmatic, and back in Dover dealing with the Delaware militia. So, a bit of a different story is told in 1776.
“I imagine our director wanted to cast someone who had strength and resilience,” says Mr. Russell.
In real life and in the show, as soon as he received the message that he was needed urgently, Mr. Rodney jumped on a horse and rode 18 hours through a torrential storm to Philadelphia. He arrived muddy, exhausted, and eager to cast his vote to cut ties with Britain.
Mr. Russell says his personal experience overcoming adversity helps him understand what it was like for the historical figure.
“No matter how strong, resilient, and admirable Rodney was, he was in great pain and discomfort having this untreatable cancer on his face,” he says. “I will certainly use my own memories of the pain, the treatment, and the experience that I had in portraying Rodney.”
That’s not the only lesson Mr. Russell brings to his portrayal of the historical figure.
“Rodney’s diagnosis led him to understand how precious time was and how he had to use every moment,” says Mr. Russell. The politician used that moment to help bring independence to the 13 colonies. The actor brings it to share that important story on stage.
Besides being the 250th anniversary of 1776, Mr. Russell believes the musical’s revival is extremely timely. “This show celebrates the core of what made us a country, and how differing viewpoints can unite and come together for the common good,” he says.
When Jessica Rodriguez, 55, experienced sudden, severe jaw pain one evening, she assumed it was related to recent dental work. But as the pain worsened overnight, she trusted her instincts and sought emergency care—a decision that saved her life.
At Mount Sinai Queens, Ms. Rodriguez was treated by Jonathan L. Murphy, MD, an interventional cardiologist, who quickly identified that she was having a severe heart attack, despite her initial symptoms being subtle. Additional testing revealed a 100 percent blockage in her right coronary artery, and Dr. Murphy immediately performed a life-saving stent procedure to restore blood flow to her heart.
Jonathan L. Murphy, MD. Click here to make an appointment.
“Heart attacks don’t always present as chest pain, especially in women,” says Dr. Murphy. “Symptoms like jaw pain, back pain, fatigue, or shortness of breath can be warning signs and should never be ignored.”
Thanks to rapid diagnosis and treatment, Ms. Rodriguez recovered quickly and returned home within a day. She has since made lifestyle changes to support her heart health, including increasing physical activity, improving her diet, and working to quit smoking, while also learning about her family history of heart disease.
Dr. Murphy emphasizes the importance of self-monitoring and self-advocacy. “If something doesn’t feel right, listen to your body and seek care,” he says. “Acting early can save your life.”
Ms. Rodriguez, a Queens resident, now shares her story to encourage others—especially women—to take symptoms seriously.
“I almost talked myself out of getting help,” she says. “Trusting myself made all the difference.”
When their son Salvatore was born in 2023 at a hospital in northern New Jersey, Kaitlyn Romano, his mother, and her husband both felt an overwhelming surge of joy and love, emotions they had been anticipating for months. Holding his tiny body, they marveled at how perfect he was. But the pediatrician had heard a heart murmur and ordered an echocardiogram, which would eventually send them to The Mount Sinai Hospital for a lifesaving procedure.
In this first-person account, Salvatore’s mother describes the emotional ups and downs the family experienced, eventually putting their faith in the team at Mount Sinai, which supported the family as Salvatore underwent the procedure. Salvatore is now thriving and living the normal life of a toddler.
When the doctor said they would need to do the test, that wonderful feeling of euphoria slipped away, and our worst fears set in. Mount Sinai pediatric cardiologist Marjorie Gayanilo, MD, interpreted the echocardiogram. Sadly, our beautiful boy’s pulmonary valve was 80 percent blocked. It was clear that he had pulmonary stenosis, which is a thickened heart valve that does not open all the way, making it difficult for blood to flow to the lungs. He needed care immediately.
We’re so thankful for the close children’s health collaboration between Valley Health System and Mount Sinai. Our care team at Valley Health System referred us to The Mount Sinai Hospital, where he underwent a minimally invasive procedure called a balloon valvuloplasty that opens and widens the blocked valve. The procedure was performed by Barry Love, MD, Director of the Congenital Cardiac Catheterization program at the Mount Sinai Children’s Heart Center.
As a mother, I had immense fears as my baby boy was sent off from my arms and transferred. Each time I heard the lullaby music that went off throughout Valley Health System’s speaker system to let people know another baby was born, I cried. I longed to hold my boy in my arms and bring him safely home. My husband and I had varied emotions, and we often had to put on a brave face. We longed to protect our son, but there was nothing we could do but have faith and trust the doctors. We were both assured that Dr. Love, as well as the entire medical team at Mount Sinai, were the very best. Thankfully, we can both attest to this being absolutely true and nothing less.
Following the procedure, Salvatore continued his care at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital for three weeks. He made strides and progressed each day in recovery. Each day felt like an emotional roller coaster, and our lives had suddenly been flipped upside down. But the Mount Sinai team was very communicative and thorough. They shared updates each day on our son’s progress, his condition, and the effect that the procedure had on his heart, and whether it was effective enough and what would be the next steps to take.
The hospital staff became our lifeline, from the nurses, to the social workers, and doctors who explained any type of procedure, test, or treatment that was administered. We will never forget the doctors who took the time to explain what his condition was, who drew a heart on a piece of paper to describe to us clearly what was wrong, and the nurses who took care of our son and went above and beyond. Each time we called the unit, the nurses reassured us that they would tell Salvatore how much we loved him and this helped put our minds at ease.
Our strong baby boy recovered fully and finally, after three weeks, Salvatore was able to come home with us without any complications or further treatments needed, thanks to the exceptional care and support of the staff at Mount Sinai.
Each month since he returned home, Salvatore has been evaluated and cared for by Dr. Gayanilo. Dr. Gayanilo is nothing short of amazing. She is patient, kind, reassuring, and vigilant. She always took her time to explain in detail updates about Salvatore’s condition. She always made us feel at ease. Thanks to Dr. Gayanilo and the incredible skill and close collaboration between the doctors at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Valley Health System, we feel Salvatore’s recovery was even more remarkable.
Salvatore is now playing and living his life like any normal one-year-old.
We are filled with immense gratitude for every staff member who was involved in our son’s day-to-day care. We would especially like to thank Salvatore’s social worker who went above and beyond to ensure that we were provided with resources and support. Thanks to the pediatrician who saw our son when he was born, to Dr. Gayanilo, Dr. Love, and the entire team at Mount Sinai. Thanks to you, our son is alive and thriving. His heart may have been born imperfect, but in every other way, he is perfect to us.
If your child has a heart condition, schedule an appointment or refer a patient to Dr. Gayanilo at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. Call 844-733-7692 or visit our website.
“I am grateful for all the compassionate care I got at Mount Sinai,” says Shari Brasner, MD, who has been an obstetrician/gynecologist at Mount Sinai for more than three decades. She was diagnosed with a rare gynecological cancer, but her cancer is in remission and her life has returned to normal. Now she helps other cancer survivors through the Woman to Woman program.
Shari Brasner, MD, has been an obstetrician/gynecologist at Mount Sinai for more than three decades. She has always put her patients first, no matter what it took. But in the fall of 2020, she became a patient.
Unexpectedly, she was diagnosed with a rare gynecologic cancer, and even as she continued as much as possible to care for her patients, she turned to her colleagues at Mount Sinai for lifesaving care. It wasn’t easy. She wore a wig to cover her balding head, long sleeves to hide injection bruising, and she coped with feeling awkward about being on the receiving end of care.
In this first-person account, she describes her experiences as both doctor and patient and how, thanks to surgery and chemotherapy, her cancer is in remission and her life has returned to normal.
She’s grateful for the compassionate care she received at The Mount Sinai Hospital and has become involved with Woman to Woman, an organization at Mount Sinai that pairs gynecologic cancer survivors with patients undergoing treatment, so she can help others who are experiencing what she went through.
It was a shock to learn I had a rare gynecologic cancer. We were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the fall of 2020, so life was already turned upside down. But then my life became even more upside down.
At first, I thought I had an ovarian cyst. I’d been having abdominal pain and since I’d had ovarian cysts removed in the past, I thought this might be another cyst. An ultrasound suggested that might be the case and my doctor recommended having the cyst and ovary removed. Since I didn’t need to rush, I scheduled the procedure for a convenient time in mid-October.
At the beginning of October, I went Boston to spend a weekend with my son, Zachary. While I was there, I developed acute abdominal pain, and it became very clear that we were going to have to move up my surgery date. I asked my husband Jeff to drive me back to New York.
At this point, I’d worked at The Mount Sinai Hospital for more than 25 years. While we were driving down, I called all my patients with appointments for Monday and Tuesday and asked them to reschedule for later in the week. Then I called my surgeon, and I said, “I’m in acute pain. I think we need to do the surgery today.” Fortunately, he was available.
My husband dropped me off at the entrance of the Mount Sinai Emergency Department. He couldn’t come in because of the COVID-19 precautions. An ultrasound in the ED showed that I was bleeding into my abdomen, and they quickly took me to the operating room. The planned surgery was laparoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure, to remove the ovary with the cyst. But they found so much blood in my belly that they converted to an open procedure.
When they opened me up, they saw that there was a mass at the edge of my uterus, next to the ovary. The surgeon removed the ovary and mass and, because I was already postmenopausal, he also removed the uterus. There was no sign of cancer, but they sent the tissue to the lab for routine testing as always. I went home two days later.
A few days after I got home, my surgeon called, saying the pathology report showed I had a rare gynecologic cancer called choriocarcinoma. This disease is most associated with a recent pregnancy. I had not been pregnant in years; my twins were 24 years old. Choriocarcinoma’s tumor marker is the pregnancy hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG) and my tumor marker was off the charts. It was a bizarre diagnosis.
“I think it can be helpful and hopeful to women in the midst of treatment to interact with someone who’s on the other side of it, who can confidently say, “My life is not any different today than it was before all this happened.” It’s a nice way to pay it forward and do something with all my gratitude.”
The next step was look for any spreading, or metastasis. I called a radiology colleague; everybody bent over backwards for me, doing the testing the day I called. They did a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of my head and computed tomography (CT) scan of my abdomen and pelvis. I had several lesions in my lungs, including some blood clots. I started taking blood thinners to treat the clots.
One week later, at the end of October, I started chemotherapy. The first few chemo sessions were inpatient. But after a few months, when my hCG level wasn’t falling as quickly as hoped, my doctor changed some of the drugs. I then had outpatient chemo for several months, until early April.
When I look back, the pandemic was a very convenient time to have cancer. I am a private person and tried to be discreet with the patients and staff. Because of COVID-19, there were almost no on-campus meetings, and all our grand rounds were virtual. I was able to complete my treatment without the scrutiny of my peers. I felt fortunate that I was back at work, in a job that required me to be out of the house and engaging with people.
I also didn’t want my patients to think I was in any way frail or compromised, that I couldn’t take care of them. So I always wore a wig or two scrub hats to conceal my bald head. I was also self-conscious about my arms. The daily blood thinner shots made me bruise easily and every blood draw was obvious in my arms. I took to wearing long sleeve shirts under the scrubs to hide my arms. Masks helped too. When patients would say, “You look different,” I would tell them, “You do too, because of the mask.”
My doctors checked my hCG level regularly, and we watched it fall. When it got to zero, I did one or two more cycles of chemo to make sure it stayed there. My daughter Samantha called me her Zero Hero, and threw me a party to celebrate in June 2021.
I think for most doctors, being a patient in the hospital where you work is awkward. The nurses had to be respectful of my privacy while also taking care of me. They were wonderful. But I bet it was more awkward for them than for me.
After the initial post op visit, follow-up care was just blood work to monitor the hCG level. Sometimes, I had the blood drawn in my office and let my doctors know that it was still at zero. When my health care providers left Mount Sinai, I didn’t transfer my care to anyone else. I just do a blood test every few months to check that the marker remains at zero.
I am grateful for all the compassionate care I got at Mount Sinai. Now I am involved with Woman to Woman, an organization that pairs gynecologic cancer survivors with patients who are in treatment for gynecologic cancer. I think it can be helpful and hopeful to women in the midst of treatment to interact with someone who’s on the other side of it, who can confidently say, “My life is not any different today than it was before all this happened.” It’s a nice way to pay it forward and do something with all my gratitude.
Johannes Schwaiger, Mount Sinai patient and Broadway musician, with fellow Broadway musician and wife Tessa Lang
About a decade ago, Broadway musician Johannes Schwaiger noticed a hoarseness in his voice, which he initially dismissed as allergies. A visit to a doctor that spring identified the real culprit—a tumor in the back of his throat. The subsequent care Mr. Schwaiger received at Mount Sinai, which included minimally invasive surgery and voice therapy, saved both his life and his voice.
“Now, thinking back, 11 years ago, I am completely cancer free and have followed my passion of music, in my case, singing, with a newfound purpose—to bring people together, and find those things that unite us,” he says.
On Thursday, June 6, the singer, who has performed on Broadway, including in Cats, will tell his story—one about “all kinds of love”—in a performance titled “All the Love in the World,” at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. Mr. Schwaiger will perform alongside his wife, fellow Broadway musician Tessa Lang, who encouraged him to see a doctor when he began experiencing symptoms and stayed by his side through cancer treatment and his journey back to health.
“She is my angel,” says Mr. Schwaiger, explaining that his ordeal with cancer was also hers. On stage, the couple will tell their story of love, hope, and survival through a selection of American, French, and Italian love songs.
“We’ve woven a tapestry of all the ways people love, and the journey that love takes, the highs and the lows, and the pursuit of love, no matter what the journey is,” says Ms. Lang of their upcoming performance.
For the couple, the journey began when Mr. Schwaiger received a diagnosis of stage IV head and neck cancer in 2013, and his worst fear—losing his voice—became a real possibility. “I underwent a CT scan, and the results were devastating,” he remembers.
Many patients who undergo surgery for head and neck tumors need a tracheotomy, a surgical opening in the neck that allows them to breathe through a tube.
“I walked around in a daze between disbelief and realty,” recalls Mr. Schwaiger.
The musician began singing at the age of nine in Munich, Germany, his hometown, and his international career went on to span operas, oratorios, concerts, and musical theater. The possibility of losing his voice “felt like losing my life,” he says.
The diagnosis also came as a shock to Ms. Lang. “Johannes was just so healthy, he grew up on a farm. There was never anything wrong with him, so that’s why this was just so unusual,” she says.
Mr. Schwaiger’s doctor referred him to Mount Sinai, where doctors performed laser surgery, a minimally invasive procedure, removing about 85 percent of the tumor without harming the surrounding tissue, eliminating any need for a tracheotomy. After the surgery, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation to remove the remaining cancer, which was provided under the expertise of his oncology team at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai.
“What I so much loved about Mount Sinai is they didn’t proclaim doomsday,” he recalls. “They said, ‘You have a good chance of healing, and that’s what we are going to do.’”
While the treatment cured him, the radiation to his throat made speaking and swallowing difficult, and Mr. Schwaiger’s voice was again in jeopardy. However, with guidance from Cathy Lazarus, PhD, Associate Professor, Otolaryngology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, he was able to keep his voice—and his career. In her research and clinical practice, Dr. Lazarus specializes in restoring function in head and neck cancer patients.
“It was tremendously helpful,” he says, adding that the therapy also helped him regain his ability to swallow and eat normally.
Mr. Schwaiger, who teaches at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, describes the care he received from Mount Sinai as “divine intervention.” In 2015, he shared his story with fellow cancer survivors at a luncheon at Mount Sinai-Union Square. To show his appreciation for all who helped him during his ordeal, he decided to tell his story through a series of songs, which were “all about healing,” he says.
“I started to look at my voice from a different lens and found a new purpose within,” he says.
It is a new purpose Mr. Schwaiger will convey when he takes the stage with Ms. Lang for the All the Love in the World concert this June.
“This concert is a testament to the journey I walked through and the love that endured and helped me to overcome and heal,” he says.
Get Your Ticket to the “All the Love in the World” Concert
The “All the Love in the World” concert is a benefit in support of Dreamgates, a nonprofit organization that uses performing arts events to bridge cultural divides and embrace artistic co-creation in a global community. It will take place Thursday, June 6, at 7:30 pm at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. Tickets are available here.
Are you a cancer patient?
Free tickets will be set aside for the first 10 cancer survivors who contact Mount Sinai. Those interested should email David Schwab at david.schwab@mountsinai.org with the subject line: “All the Love in the World.”
“Before, I couldn’t travel too far and couldn’t go international. When I went to Washington D.C., I was limited by my ability to walk,” says Jose Eduardo Vazquez Bonano. “But right now, with spring coming up, I’ll be happy to do the inside loop of Prospect Park.”
Jose Eduardo Vazquez Bonano, 62, started having trouble walking a few years ago. “I noticed as I was getting older, my walking was starting to slow down,” he said. “I thought it might be age, or diabetic neuropathy, which I do have.”
But when the diagnosis started pointing to spinal issues, Mr. Bonano looked into several spine programs in New York City before settling on Divaldo Camara, MD, at the Spine Program at Mount Sinai Morningside. “I always do research before I take an important step, and when I saw his profile and read some of his history, I said, okay, this is a man I can trust.”
Now, he’s looking forward to long, leisurely walks.
“When I was younger, one of my hobbies that I loved was walking distance. But it got to the point that I couldn’t even walk half a block,” said Mr. Bonano. “But I’m recovering from my surgery very quickly. Right now, my goal is to walk the inside loop of Prospect Park, which is 3.5 kilometers. That’s what I’m looking forward to this spring.”
Divaldo Camara, MD, the Spine Program at Mount Sinai Morningside
Dr. Camara started seeing Mr. Bonano in January of 2023. He had severe back pain and pain running through his left leg. He also had a “foot drop” which means he had trouble lifting his left foot because of the nerve. Dr. Camara usually sees patients two or three times before recommending surgery unless it’s an emergency. They normally will first try physical therapy and other non-surgical treatments, but they weren’t working in his case. Doctors ordered imaging and saw evidence of degenerative disease on his MRI.
“By March, the compelling findings in his images led us to discuss surgery as the next best step in his case,” Dr. Camara said. “He had a severe sagittal and coronal imbalance which was compressing the nerve, which means the curvature of the spine was off both front to back and side to side.”
“I was hesitant about surgery,” said Mr. Bonano. “It took about a month to make sure this is the right thing for me. I talked with my partner and considered my age and my health condition. But I went for it. I said, at this point in my life, why not?”
Part of Mr. Bonano’s decision was based on discussing his goals with Dr. Camara. “I try to establish a relationship, understand the patient’s complaints and their goals for treatment,” said Dr. Camara. “When I asked Jose what things he’d like to do, he said that he would like to drive to Florida to see relatives. And that was one thing he couldn’t do in his current condition.”
Because of the severity of Mr. Bonano’s case, he needed two spinal surgeries, one from the front and one from the rear. The front surgery, an anterior lumbar interbody fusion, or ALIF, removed one of the damaged discs. The rear operation provided the corrective bracing.
“It was a complex surgery, but we were confident of a good outcome,” Dr. Camara said. “And the two surgeries allowed us to correct much more than we would have been able to otherwise.”
Mr. Bonano had the first surgery on a Monday and the second one on Thursday. He remained in the hospital between surgeries and was able to begin rehab in the hospital. He was in the hospital about a month.
“It’s an advantage when patients go to our rehab program,” said Dr. Camara, “because if there’s any concern about the patient’s improvement or wound healing, we can follow up easily.”
“The doctor did an excellent job. I recovered very fast,” said Mr. Bonano. “I’m not 100 percent back to normal, but so far, so good. Even the cut from the operation is just visible as a line. To see how well they did that was phenomenal.”
Now Mr. Bonano is looking forward to being able to walk and travel.
“Before, I couldn’t travel too far and couldn’t go international. When I went to Washington D.C.—there’s all the monuments to see and you’re always trying explore as much as possible—I was limited by my ability to walk. But right now, with spring coming up, I’ll be happy to do the inside loop of Prospect Park.”
When their son Salvatore was born in 2023 at a hospital in northern New Jersey, Kaitlyn Romano, his mother, and her husband both felt an overwhelming surge of joy and love, emotions they had been anticipating for months. Holding his tiny body, they marveled at how perfect he was. But the pediatrician had heard a heart murmur and ordered an echocardiogram, which would eventually send them to The Mount Sinai Hospital for a lifesaving procedure.
