Port Washington Man Celebrates Being Cancer-Free, Gives Back To Brain Cancer Research

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — A Port Washington man survived a brain tumor, and he's now giving back to pediatric brain cancer research and foundations to support patients and families.

28-year-old Johnny Nahas was having headaches, nausea, and vomiting for a few weeks, but brushed them off as nothing serious. It wasn't until his mother and sister pushed him to check that he went to see a doctor.

"Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful they insisted, because that decision saved my life," Nahas said. "The way the tumor was pressing against my brain, along with its size, made it a life-threatening condition."

On Thanksgiving Day of 2024, he had to undergo emergency surgery after learning that he had a brain tumor just hours earlier.

"The first thing I thought was that I was dead," he said. "However, it all happened so fast that there wasn’t much time to process it emotionally. I went from thinking I had a bad headache to being told I needed emergency brain surgery within hours. I was terrified, but I also felt a strange sense of calm — like I just had to trust the doctors and take things one step at a time. I’m almost thankful it all happened so quickly, because I didn’t really have time to panic."

Nahas shared that before the surgery, they hadn't found out yet if the tumor was benign or malignant, so he didn't have that worry looming over his head.

"My biggest fear was waking up and not being able to speak or move, and when I did, that was the biggest blessing of my life," he said. "From that point on, I maintained the mindset of allowing my doctors to treat me however they thought was best."

For eight months, Nahas endured treatment from Nov. 2024 until early Jul. 2025. This included 31 rounds of proton radiation administered every business day for six weeks, four rounds of intensive chemotherapy, each round requiring a three-night hospital stay, and emergency brain surgery.

He said he chose to volunteer any recorded data from his treatment plan to be made public, allowing his case to be used as research in hopes of helping other patients in the future.
Reflecting on who he credits with saving his life, he said it went beyond the doctors, though they played a major role.

"It truly took a village," Nahas said. "The emergency room doctor at St. Francis Hospital who first diagnosed the tumor. The doctors and nurses at Memorial Sloan Kettering who confirmed my diagnosis of medulloblastoma and created my treatment plan. My family, my fiancée Natalie, and my friends carried me emotionally every single day. I wouldn’t be here without all of them."

He continued, adding that MSK connected him with nonprofit organizations, like Brian’s Foundation of Hope, The 76 Foundation, and Expect Miracles Foundation, that saved his life differently: "by paying my rent and allowing me to focus solely on getting better."

Today, Johnny is cancer-free and back to work at his family business, Nahas Flooring Co., the company founded by his great-grandfather in 1927. Through the business, the company is producing t-shirts featuring the brand's logo alongside a cancer ribbon, with portions of each purchase going to pediatric brain cancer research and foundations. He said that during his time working at the family business, he's always made shirts for their mechanics and friends to wear– never selling any for profit.

They are also accepting donations through the website, and 100 percent of contributions will be donated.

"I didn’t want cancer to define me, but I realized I could use what I went through to help someone else, and I was in a unique position to do that through my family business, which already had an established platform and helped inspire this entire initiative. If raising awareness or funds helps even one family feel less alone or helps advance research that saves another life, then it’s worth it."

Nahas said that these t-shirts are only the beginning. He wants to grow his family business and use that to give back to those who need it.

"As long as I’m alive, I’m going to keep giving back," he said. "I’m alive because of research, early intervention, and the support systems that exist for people facing the worst moments of their lives."