Celebration of life held for our beloved colleague Dr. Max Gomez
NEW YORK -- A celebration of life was held Saturday in tribute to our beloved friend and colleague CBS New York chief medical correspondent Dr. Max Gomez.
In a heartfelt tribute to her father, Katie Gomez fondly remembered how he instilled in her the value of kindness.
"He would stress, take the time to get to know people, listen to them, make them feel seen," she said.
A beloved chief medical correspondent for CBS New York, Dr. Max, as he was affectionately known, passed away in September at the age of 72 after battling a long illness.
In his final weeks, he helped to plan his own celebration of life, including a touching look back on his most meaningful chapters.
Born in Cuba, he relocated to Miami with his family and later to New York.
His son, Max Gomez IV, recounted how his father left him with endless life lessons.
"To pick your battles. It's something I think about every day. Don't get too upset about anything if it's not worth it. Figure out what's important and focus on that," he said.
It's clear Dr. Max's focus was his unwavering dedication to helping people.
"We could go around this room and everybody would have a touching story," said Amy Levin, Dr. Max's partner.
During the tribute, friend Linda Frankebach asked, "All of you who Max helped in some way with some medical thing, would you stand up?"
Almost everyone stood up.
"Need we say more?" Frankebach said.
His academic journey led him to Princeton University to earn a Ph.D. from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and serve as a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University.
He earned multiple accolades, including New York Emmy Awards, a UPI honor for Best Documentary on AIDS, and the Excellence in a Time of Crisis award from the New York City Health Department following 9/11.
As CBS New York's Cindy Hsu shared, he turned his profound medical knowledge into relatable reports to help viewers, and anyone who crossed his path.
"We all have a story about how he helped us or someone we cared about, and for many of us, he saved a life," Hsu said.
In a final guitar tribute, Dr. Max's brother George played one of his favorite songs, "Moon River." As the lyrics go, "I'm crossing you in style someday."
Our dear Dr. Max may have crossed over, but his incredible contributions to medical journalism and his friendship live on.
We miss him and will continue to honor him and his family.
