Sharsheret Jewel Circle: Why I Give
Why am I a member of the Sharsheret Jewel Circle? This question takes me back to the very beginning of my most personal, and sadly, multiple connections to Sharsheret.
I first learned about Sharsheret in 2001 when my sister, Margot Rosenberg Pulitzer Z”L, was battling breast cancer. My sister was blessed to have a large family living nearby who could provide her with the local support she needed for herself, her husband, and her young children. Yet, there seemed to be something missing. Margot yearned to connect with someone who had “walked in her shoes” before her, another young Jewish Mom who understood firsthand what she was going through, who could guide her along the way. Then, almost as a wish come true, a dear friend in New Jersey told me about this amazing new organization called Sharsheret that was founded to connect young Jewish women with breast cancer. Sharsheret could provide the gift of a “Link”, a peer supporter, for Margot. I could hardly contain my excitement. Here, I was able to give something to Margot that until then no one could. Unfortunately, Margot’s illness progressed quickly and she was never able to meet her Link. Margot passed away in January 2002, less than three months after Sharsheret was established.
Tragically, my dream of getting a Sharsheret Link for my sister did come true. But this time the Link was for my second sister, Sheri Rosenberg Kanter Z”L, who, like Margot, was a young Jewish Mom living with advanced breast cancer. In the last year of Sheri’s life, her Sharsheret Link carried her through those harrowing days, guiding her, supporting her, and helping her in ways only someone who has been there could. Sheri often told me how much she benefited from all the programs at Sharsheret and most importantly, her special Sharsheret Link. Because of our family and Sharsheret, I know that Sheri felt supported and she felt understood. She was not alone.
Through my family’s losses I realized that this disease is not going away any time soon. From the day I tried to connect Margot with Sharsheret, 19 years ago, my own connection to Sharsheret began to grow. I started as a local volunteer coordinating community-wide fundraisers, outreach events, educational seminars and doing anything I could to share lifesaving information and raise the necessary funds to sustain Sharsheret’s critical programs.
With its finger on the pulse of the evolving needs of all Jewish women facing breast and ovarian cancer, Sharsheret is innovative and finding new ways to improve lives and save lives every single day. We need Sharsheret in our communities and in our families.
Today, I am honored to serve as a Sharsheret National Board member and am privileged to be a member of the Sharsheret Jewel Circle, giving my time and philanthropic dollars to ensure that every Jewish woman and family can benefit from Sharsheret should they ever need us.