So much food
Last week, we had so much food in the office that I probably gained 3 pounds just from looking at it. We had brownies, cookies, cakes, almond bars, sandwiches, salads, three different kinds of pasta . . . not to mention the leftover noodle pudding that Alice (our Executive Director) brought in after her family's Yom Kippur break fast.
We often have food at SHARE (it's just that kind of place!) so last week wasn't totally unusual -- but it was high volume even for us. The reason was that we had two special gatherings for women with breast or ovarian cancer in our office.
On Wednesday, we held our First Annual Ovarian Cancer Support Group Reunion. Almost 30 women attended! It was a great chance for newer support group members to meet members who've been involved in the past and for everyone to share the very different ways that they manage ovarian cancer. (I'm told the group had a total of 246 1/2 years of collective survival among them.) The idea (and much of the planning) for the evening came from one of our active members, Annie, who baked several batches of all kinds of goodies to make sure that there was plenty of sweet stuff to eat. (Click here to see Alice's blog about this event.)
SHARE has started a new program called Pink & Teal Seminars that will send SHARE participants to corporate workplaces to talk about breast and ovarian cancer. On Thursday, Cheryl Rubin (the program's director) held a training for women who will be involved with this program, which is a great service for employees from all kinds of companies. They get the chance to learn about the diseases from women who've experienced the diseases, and to ask questions and speak privately with SHARE participants if they so desire (click here to learn more about it).
SHARE is really all about bringing people together so that they can talk to each other, whether there's food or not, and these two events are just a couple of examples.
Another example happened on Thursday, when SHARE volunteers went to New York Medical College in Valhalla to talk with second-year medical students about their experiences with breast and ovarian cancer. This is part of our Side-by-Side Initiative, which works to enhance communication between patients and doctors. In Valhalla, eight volunteers each spoke to about 25 students, which brings the total to over 200. Lee Miller, who runs the program, said every student asked at least one question! And the doctor who set up the event said it was one of the greatest teaching days of her career!
Upcoming Events
Next week (October 13), we've got a really valuable program planned on New Treatments for Metastatic Breast Cancer. Dr. Maura Dickler of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and author and advocate Musa Mayer will talk about new research and treatments. I don't know if food will be available, but a lot of important information certainly will be.
On October 26, SHARE will hold our 14th Annual Memorial Ceremony, for family, friends, health care providers, and SHARE participants to honor and celebrate the lives of those lost to breast or ovarian cancer. This is a wonderful event with music, poetry, and a candle-lighting ceremony (and, um, food as well).
And in November (the 19th to be exact), we'll hold our annual Fireside Conversation with Dr. Larry Norton, also of Memorial Sloan-Kettering, who will talk about current breast cancer research and treatment. The talk will take place at UFT headquarters downtown, and I'm told coffee, tea, and cookies will be served.
Posted October 6, 2009.
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More important, though, about 40 people attended, most of whom were women living with metastatic disease and their family and friends. Kristen Martinez, a dynamic young advocate from SHARE and Young Survival, first spoke briefly about her experiences as a young woman diagnosed initially as Stage 4. Then Dr. Maura Dickler talked about clinical trials for new drug treatments such as PARP inhibitors for triple negative disease and new ways of delivering chemo combined with Herceptin for HER2+ patients. (If you don't know what any of this means, please call our hotline and we'll try to explain). Musa Mayer reported on the NCI-sponsored Center of Excellence for Brain Metastatases and an international survey she's doing on the needs of women living with metastatic disease. Not surprisingly, women across the globe feel isolated and are struggling to find effective treatments. Although the program was supposed to end at 7:30, conversations were still going on in the hallway at 8:15. So we know there's a huge need for more conversation, more support, and better treatments, and I hope to see many of you at future support groups and educational programs.
— Ilene Winkler, SHARE Director of Metastatic Programs