Eight years ago, I adopted a terrified, matted rescue dog dropped off as a stray at a high-kill shelter down south. He was on the euthanasia list and even bit me at our meet & greet. When asked if I still wanted to take him home, I apprehensively said, “Uh…… Continue reading
I recently saw the play Here There Are Blueberries. The play is based on a true story of a photo album featuring Nazi-era photographs that arrived at the desk of an archivist at the US Holocaust Museum in 2007. A central question to the play is what choices you make when you… Continue reading
In late 1974, I sat in our wood-paneled family room, watching the news as Betty Ford revealed to the world that she'd had breast cancer and a mastectomy. I called out to my mother in the kitchen, "Mom! What's a mastectomy" Dead silence. My mother had a long history of… Continue reading
I expected starting a new internship to feel a bit like starting a group project in school. Not knowing what to expect, overthinking what the people are going to be like, and the whole thing just being a little intimidating. But somehow, five minutes into my interview, I knew… Continue reading
In 2019, I was happily married, mother of two sons. I received good medical care and was in excellent shape. On a family trip to Greece, my belly was noticeably distended. I thought it might be traveler's stomach or perimenopause. I still felt bloated when we arrived home and… Continue reading
My connection to Sharsheret began in 2010, when, as an eight-year-old, I watched my mom participate in the NYC Triathlon for Team Sharsheret during its first year. I vividly recall making a poster to cheer… Continue reading
Before starting my internship at Sharsheret, I didn't fully grasp what it meant to be truly dedicated to your work. As someone who often procrastinates and dreads the concept of “work,” I didn't realize that people can not only enjoy their jobs but also find deep… Continue reading
Orange, green, blue and yellow, these are the colors of the shirts I would wear every year at the Sharsheret fall walk in Central Park NYC as a child. I would walk with my mom and sister and so many other women and their friends and family. I would wear pink in high… Continue reading
I’m eagerly counting down the days until Sharsheret’s 3rd Annual West Coast Dash, where I will proudly lead Team YICC (Young Israel of Century City), my synagogue in Los Angeles, for the third year. As Team Captain, I play a pivotal role in raising awareness and funds for… Continue reading
"Shan, we have a problem." The relationship I have with my oncologist is a very casual, easy one. We joke, we laugh, and he always tells everything to me straight. So, right away, I could tell by his demeanor that my PET/CT and MRI that morning showed progression to some… Continue reading
When you’ve had cancer, your emotional taste buds change everything. A sunset is more brilliant, smells of flowers are magnified, music touches the heart more. So when my daughter sent me a WhatsApp in December, 2017, that she was in the delivery room in a hospital in the… Continue reading
In honor of our newly launched Sharsheret Israel Initiative, we’re highlighting stories in Israel. When you live in community, others can remind you that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. I have always had friends, but just a couple of close friends. Some… Continue reading
While patients most certainly do not "choose" their disease, I have chosen to care for cancer patients. As a physician, I can say it is a privilege to participate in each patient's cancer journey. Importantly, it is not the work of any one individual, but rather a team of many… Continue reading
When I was an undergraduate student at Indiana University, I was lucky enough to follow in my mom's footsteps and become a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority during my 2nd semester in 2012. My mom had just beat her battle with ovarian cancer right before I left for college, so… Continue reading
If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with cancer, you've probably seen the terms biomarker and genetic testing thrown around quite a bit. While both types of testing are important, these terms describe two very different things. This article will highlight the… Continue reading
By Sharon Galper Grossman The phone call from Maccabi surprised me. Schedule a mammogram I can barely get through my day taking care of the things that I already have to do. How dare someone add a mammogram to my to do list Don't they realize that we are in the middle of a… Continue reading
In this deeply personal blog post, I want to share my journey of facing breast cancer as a lesbian woman. Breast cancer does not discriminate, and I encountered a range of emotions, from fear and uncertainty to strength and determination. Through the ups and downs, the… Continue reading
Is being a caregiver for a partner really that tough Well yes. I think so. It was for me. And something tells me that I'm not the only one. My partner, Sarah, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27. My experiences caused me to grapple with the unexpected difficulties… Continue reading
Going through a health crisis can be traumatic, and breast cancer is no exception. More than 240,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. each year, accounting for about 30% of all new female cancers. While screening can help to detect breast cancer earlier,… Continue reading
Testing, testing Summer of 2017. I’ll never forget sitting in the doctor’s office at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago where I was having a family meeting with my mom, dad and brother to discuss testing for the BRCA1 gene with our genetic counselor. Still riding my… Continue reading
