National Symposium to Address Survivorship For Young Women Living Beyond Breast Cancer Treatment

National Symposium to Address Survivorship For Young Women Living Beyond Breast Cancer Treatment

Hackensack, New Jersey (March 9, 2005) — Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting Jewish women facing breast cancer, will present the symposium, “Surviving Young: Life After Breast Cancer,” on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City. The event will attract breast cancer survivors, their families, and health care professionals and will be accessible nationwide via webcast. A transcript of the event will also be available to patients and health care professionals on Sharsheret’s website, www.sharsheret.org. The symposium is funded by a generous grant from UJA-Federation of New York and with support from Fertile Hope and Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

“Survivorship has become an important subject of recent research, as more women live longer lives beyond breast cancer treatment,” said Executive Director Rochelle Shoretz. “Sharsheret’s survivorship symposium will empower women with critical information they can use on the new journey that begins when treatment ends.”

“Surviving Young: Life After Breast Cancer” will educate breast cancer survivors and health care professionals about:
• Follow-up care after surgery and treatment
• Staying current on emerging cancer research
• The impact of breast cancer on Jewish ritual and spirituality
• Fertility after treatment
• Coping with fears of recurrence
• Body image and intimacy
• Nutrition and exercise post-treatment

Symposium speakers will include Dr. Ruth Oratz (Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers), Dr. Thomas Kolb (Private Practice in Radiology), Dr. Kutluk Oktay (The Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility), Linda Roberts, LCSW (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center), Rochelle Shoretz (Executive Director, Sharsheret), Jill Dennis, MS, OTR/L (Weill Cornell Medical Center), and Lisa Goldberg, MS, RD (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center).

“Surviving Young: Life After Breast Cancer” is Sharsheret’s fourth symposium. The organization’s previous symposia addressed the subjects of breast cancer and fertility, parenting through breast cancer, and the impact of breast cancer genetics on the Jewish woman and her family. Sharsheret’s medical symposia are free of charge, and all symposium transcripts are available on the website www.sharsheret.org.

For more information about Sharsheret and symposium reservations, please call Program Coordinator Elana Silber toll-free at (866) 474-2774.