Saturday, November 8, 2025
When EGP Oceanside hosts its ninth annual Fall Fest on Oct. 13 — Columbus Day, or Indigenous Peoples’ Day — the event will do more than serve up family fun, live music and pumpkin-picking. This year’s festival will be dedicated to one of Oceanside’s own: Cara McGuinness, 31, a physician assistant and a lifelong community member now battling Stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer.
McGuinness’s life has been defined by perseverance. Diagnosed with diabetes at age 4, she never allowed those challenges to define her. A standout student, she graduated with honors from Oceanside High School in 2012, earned a degree from Marist College and achieved her goal of becoming a physician assistant. She works in labor and delivery and Mercy Medical Center, in Rockville Centre and has also served patients at South Nassau Communities Hospital.
McGuinness’s world shifted in January, when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that had already spread to other areas of her body. She is being treated through a coordinated effort that includes Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in Uniondale, as well as doctors at physicians at Mercy.
“When we found out that our family had been chosen as a fundraiser recipient, we were overwhelmed with emotion — gratitude and deep humility,” Cara’s mother, Jennifer, wrote in an email. “In the midst of one of the hardest challenges of our lives, this gesture reminded us that we are not alone. Knowing that EGP and our community are standing with us, supporting our daughter as she faces stage four triple negative breast cancer, means more than words can express.”
Despite her treatments, and the pain of her illness, Cara has returned to work, to keep her job and maintain her health care benefits. Brianna O’Hagan, EGP’s general manager and the founder of Fall Fest, said she was moved when she learned more about McGuinness’s circumstances.
“She’s still working — she’s a P.A. where she’s again now giving back, and delivering babies while she has Stage 4 cancer,” O’Hagan said. “She’s been pretty much fighting her whole life. It’s pretty incredible.”
EGP’s Fall Fest, now in its ninth year, has become a fixture in Oceanside. Each year the restaurant spotlights a person or family who is deeply rooted in the community and is going through challenges. O’Hagan said she knew the McGuinness family well — including Cara’s aunt and uncle Victoria and John, who have been active locally — and was moved by the family’s humility.
“Oceanside knows the McGuinnesses,” O’Hagan said. “They grew up here. They’re parents — they’re very, very deep-rooted. They are always looking to give back to everybody else. The whole point of the Fall Fest isn’t just about raising money. It’s about showing the support of the community and that we have your back, and we’re here for you no matter what happens.”
Her aunt, Victoria Ramalho, who has known Cara all her life, said the family had been heartened by the outpouring of support since her diagnosis and since the Fall Fest announcement. The family has rallied to make sure she has the support she needs, from traveling to see relatives to helping with appointments and care.
“The donations are pouring in — it’s been unbelievable,” Ramalho said. “People that I haven’t talked to in years are reaching out. There have been packages that just show up with something uplifting— whether it’s a pair of socks or a pair of pajamas. It’s just been amazing how, when people hear the news and people see what’s going on, they automatically just want to do something.”
Ramalho is a breast cancer survivor herself. Nonetheless, McGuinness’s diagnosis was a shock, particularly because she is young.
She has built a meaningful life and career. “She’s a trouper,” Ramalho said. “She does what she can. She comes home exhausted, and it’s taking a lot out of her, but she’s giving it her best.”
Next month’s Fall Fest will run from noon to 6 p.m. at EGP Oceanside, and will feature raffles, food and crafts, a pumpkin patch, face painting and live music. El Scorchio, a ’90s alt-rock cover band, will play from noon to 1 p.m., and the Revelators will take the stage from 3 to 6 p.m.
“This has been a very nice journey,” Ramalho said of the planning and the community response. “The donations are pouring in, the wanting to help — it’s been unbelievable. It’s nice to know we live in such a great community, and that there are still such good people out there that want to help other people.”
O’Hagan said that the Fall Fest has become part of EGP’s identity — and a way to teach staff and neighbors about the value of giving back. “My whole staff looks forward to it,” she said.
Organizers, and McGuinness’s family, hope the day will be an opportunity for neighbors to show her that the community has her back.
“I want people to know that Cara is so much more than her diagnosis,” her mother wrote. “She’s vibrant, kind, strong and incredibly generous — someone who always shows up for others, even when she’s facing unimaginable challenges herself. She’s a daughter, a sister, a friend, a bright light who brings warmth and humor into every room with her smile and cackle.”
