Thursday, October 1, 2026
Dozens of Long Beach residents packed Sherry Blossom, on Park Avenue, last Saturday for a fundraiser to support East Atlantic Beach’s Austin Neugeboren, 10, who has recurrent brain cancer.
Neugeboren first started experiencing symptoms last February. Brian Neugeboren, Austin’s father, said he was having headaches. He was diagnosed with strep throat despite not having a sore throat. After three unsuccessful rounds of antibiotics, the family found themselves in the emergency room.
On Feb. 25, 2025, doctors at NYU Langone Hospital in Mineola discovered what Brian described as “a plum-sized mass.” The following Friday, Austin underwent surgery to remove the grade 4 glioblastoma.
Over the next three months, Austin completed multiple chemotherapy and radiation cycles at Winthrop, including a 42-day period in which he went to treatment five times a week — all while attending his school in Merrick.
Austin’s cancer returned nearly a year later, on Jan. 11, when doctors discovered a tumor’s progression after he suffered a seizure while in the bathroom. In the ambulance to the hospital, Brian said that Austin’s eyes were wide open, but he couldn’t speak or move his eyes.
“That was the scariest thing I’ve seen in my life,” he said.
After undergoing surgery at NYU Langone Hospital in New York City to remove part of the tumor on Jan. 28, Austin will begin a clinical trial with Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Sherry Zheng, the owner of Sherry Blossom, has known the Neugeboren family for eight years. She described Austin as a reserved, polite and well-behaved kid. Zheng first met the family when Austin’s mother, Yim, asked about the shop’s rewards program. Both families have built a tight bond, even meeting as much as four times a week during the summer.
“They’re like my family,” Zheng said. “They always invite us over for dinner.”
Wayne Whitaker, Zheng’s partner for nearly a decade, spends much of his time with Austin and his father. Whitaker visits their home on Mark Lane and they play bowling on a Nintendo Wii. The duo, along with Brian, participates in a cornhole league at South Shore Brewery and Bright Eye Beer Company twice a week.
“Austin’s a sweet, caring kid,” Whitaker said. “It touches my heart to see people wanting to support him.”
More than 19 businesses and individuals from Long Beach and nearby communities donated items for the fundraiser’s raffle. There were gift cards from restaurants on Park Avenue, as well as gift baskets of wine, club seat tickets to a Mets game, and even a bike.
Brian and Yim thanked everyone who donated and were present for the fundraiser. “We are so fortunate to live in a place where people are so kind,” he said.
Sherry Blossom has organized a Venmo that will directly benefit the Neugeboren family to offset the cost of treatments. Those interested can send donations to Austin-Fundraiser-2026.
