Our surrogacy journey certainly did not go as planned. Surrogacy can be tough to navigate and this article, coauthored by an Intended Parent (Deedee) and a gestational surrogate (Alexis), discusses our story and provides some tips. If you asked me five years ago if I ever… Continue reading
In February 2022, Mishe Bear LLC, a company that creates teddy bears which are as meaningful as they are snuggly, launched a campaign to raise awareness about Sharsheret on Pink Day. The name “Mishe Bear” comes from the Jewish prayer “Mi Sheberach,” a prayer for… Continue reading
Knowing your risk is the best way to protect yourself and your family Each year, more than 250,000 women and about 2,300 men in the United States learn that they have breast cancer, and nearly 20,000 women find out that they have ovarian cancer. Most of these cancers occur by… Continue reading
August 2013 will never be forgotten. My oldest child was getting ready for freshman year of college, my baby was a sophomore in high school, and I found out I had ovarian cancer. To say we were all in shock was an understatement. As far as we knew, we had no family history… Continue reading
We were in full lockdown mode at the beginning of the pandemic. My then 2-year-old son was out of school and my husband, Ron, was working from home. I was breastfeeding my 8-month-old daughter and had been experiencing breast pain, unexplained fevers, night sweats, and… Continue reading
When Ann tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation after being diagnosed with breast cancer she knew there was a 50% chance she had passed along the mutation to her children. "As a parent you can't really change the genetics that you give your children but you can give… Continue reading
The cupboards of the kitchen are covered with multi-colored post-it notes, the sticky paper squares typically used for To-Do lists. They offer a different kind of reminder—a love story—not that we need any prompting to recall what Sloane and I have together. Colored Sharpies… Continue reading
משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה “When one enters into Adar, we increase our joy” (Taanis 29A) It is no secret that I love Purim and it seems befitting that my birthday coincides with the Jewish month of Adar (the 12th month on the Jewish calendar counting… Continue reading
When I first heard those words in 2009, “You have breast cancer,” I was stunned, overwhelmed, and numb. My family had no history of cancer, so how could this happen The uncertainty and deep anxiety caused by a cancer diagnosis can at times seem harder to bear than the… Continue reading
In 2012, I was visiting my daughter Lorrie’s home in Virginia. Lorrie is an RN and her colleague at the hospital (her gynecologist) suggested she get tested because of her Jewish roots, which put her at increased risk for having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation. It turns out… Continue reading
