Jackson Hall Packs House For Breast Cancer Fight

Jackson Hall American Bar and Grille in East Islip was recently packed inside and outside for its fourth annual “All Boobs Matter” fundraiser.

The night brought people together for raffles, music and honest conversation about a disease many still think of as only affecting women. Proceeds will go to the Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance and the West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition for Long Island.

The evening was hosted by restaurant owner Michael Landesberg, who was diagnosed in 2020 after finding a lump under his nipple. Doctors told him the cancer was HER2+, an advanced form of breast cancer, and that without a mastectomy and chemotherapy, he likely had about a year to live.

With that news, his entire outlook changed. But he knew one thing: He had to fight immediately.

His wife, Jamie, saw the other side of that experience up close. The diagnosis came during the COVID period, and surgery had to happen quickly. Their son, Sean, was 11. At home, they were trying to manage doctor’s appointments, fear and everyday life, all while keeping the restaurant running as Michael went through treatment.

He underwent surgery and began chemotherapy, which he described as a “complete nightmare.” The treatments were so intense that he was hospitalized several times with numerous complications, including pancreatitis.

After the treatments were over, the second round of his fight began. That was when he decided to use the platform he already had — a busy American bar and grille — to help others.

Landesberg has described the restaurant itself as the tool he had available once he was well enough to use it. A dining room already draws people for birthdays, nights out and ordinary meals; the annual event simply redirects that traffic toward screening awareness and unrestricted donations.

This year’s event was spectacular, raising an estimated $80,000.

The place was buzzing through two packed seatings and a bar five people deep, carrying the high energy found at a classic hometown benefit. Between the two dinner seatings, it was a beautiful chaos: a 50/50 raffle that reached a whopping $39,000, Chinese auctions and tables overflowing with more than 100 gift baskets and prizes.

Donations came in all forms, including sports memorabilia, restaurant gift certificates, hotel stays, Ray-Ban Meta glasses and much more.

Celebrity guests supplied the entertainment without turning the night into a spectacle detached from the cause.

Sal Valentinetti sang a short set. The song that landed hardest was “My Way,” which Landesberg has said resonated because the lyrics matched the decision he made when his prognosis was bleak.

Jennifer Aydin of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” was also there. She first met “Chef Mike” when he appeared on her podcast and mentioned his diagnosis. She has said she had not known men could develop breast cancer at all.

The fact that many men never think to check, or to mention a change under the nipple to a doctor, is what stayed with her.

Other male survivors were in the room as well.

Their presence is part of the point of routing money to the Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance, founded by Cheri Ambrose. The organization brings together male survivors, researchers and oncologists across countries with three explicit aims: improving treatments available to men, pushing for clinical trials that include them and reducing the stigma that still keeps some men from seeking care or talking about a diagnosis.

Breast cancer in men is uncommon compared with cases in women, but it is not rare in absolute terms, and outcomes worsen when it is found late — precisely the pattern Landesberg’s own story illustrates.

The second recipient, the West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition for Long Island, has operated since 1990 and focuses on the South Shore communities the restaurant serves.

Its stated mission is to reduce both the incidence and severity of breast cancer. In the 1990s, the coalition was part of the local effort that documented elevated cancer rates on Long Island and pressed for investigation of possible environmental contributors.

Today, the group directs its resources entirely toward practical patient bills — costs that insurance and standard assistance programs often leave uncovered.

Pairing the two organizations allows the fundraiser to address both the specific gap in male breast cancer awareness and research and the immediate financial pressure on patients and families in the same geographic area.

By the time the second seating cleared and the last auction items were claimed, Michael had done what he set out to do when he left the hospital.

“Coming together for one purpose, for one cause … that is success,” he has said of the event.

For Landesberg, success can be as simple as one person hearing his story and deciding to get checked or ask a doctor more questions.

It is why he keeps repeating the same advice: “You are your own best advocate.”

Planning for next year’s event will begin again in March.

Until then, the ordinary business of the restaurant continues, with the same owner who once had a year on the clock now using the place to tell other people they might not have that long if they wait.

Michael, Jamie and Sean are still there, not just as a family that together beat cancer, but as seasoned survivors sharing their story and opening their doors to help others navigate life after hearing the words: “You have breast cancer.”