Blog

Manhattan newspaper Chelsea Now recently ran a story about women who discovered they had a BRCA mutation and how they chose to take preventative action-- or what they decided to do instead. Featured in the story are SHARE's own Breast Cancer Program Director Christine Benjamin, who was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer at age 36 and later found she had an abnormal BRCA1 gene, Ovarian Helpline Coordinator Andrea Herzberg, who had been treated for late stage ovarian cancer before finding she has the BRCA2 mutation, and Deborah Polinsky, a SHARE ovarian cancer support group facilitator and patient advocate living with the BRCA1 mutation.

SHARE recently teamed with The Family Center’s Legal Wellness Institute to host a webinar about metastatic breast cancer and disability insurance. Thinking of exploring your options for disability insurance? Here are 6 fast facts to help you have a successful  Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) application for metastatic cancer.

In honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week, SHARE, Facing Our Risk (FORCE) and NYU co-sponsored a talk with Dr. Douglas Levine, Director of Gynecologic Oncology and Head of Gynecologic Oncology Research Laboratory at NYU Langone Medical Center.

SHARE recently hosted a meet and greet luncheon for a group of Japanese breast cancer advocates interested in learning more about our programs and services. The invitation was spearheaded by Aiko Brody, SHARE’s Japanese breast cancer support group facilitator, and included nurses, administrators and not for profit leaders eager to learn about how SHARE operates.

Hundreds of participants, including friends, family and caregivers, gathered at Prospect Park on September 9 for the 9th annual Brooklyn T.E.A.L. Walk/Run. Hosted by the non-profit organization T.E.A.L. (Tell Every Amazing Lady), the event is held every September during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and seeks to celebrate survivors of the disease while also honoring those who’ve died from it.

SHARE’s Pink and Teal Young Professionals Group recently gathered together to host a special fundraiser for SHARE’s work for women with breast and ovarian cancers. Billed as a night of networking and music, the event was held August 24 at Esther and Carol, a chic bistro and lounge in Manhattan, and had over 100 people in attendance!

The evening began with an open bar meet and greet where guests were given the opportunity to mingle over free drinks.

By Joan Mancuso

In working hard to develop systemic treatments for breast cancer, scientists are rigorously conducting research on targeting our immune system. Along with that, work by Dr. Max Wicha has shed light on understanding how cancer stem cells (CSC) contribute to the growth and spread of tumors, as well as how these cells interact with the immune system.

By Joan Mancuso

In her presentation at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December, Dr. Leisha Emens noted that scientists want to turn on our immune system, to convert non-responders to responders in order to treat metastatic breast cancer patients with immunotherapy.

Runners and walkers from around the city gathered at Flushing Meadows Park on Sunday, June 4, to participate in the 5th Annual We Run for Hope 5K/10K Run and Walk. The annual event honors patients and survivors of cancer, as well as the memory of those who died from the disease, and raised funds for SHARE's programming.