Best of Sharsheret 2009

As we look towards 2010, we are proud to highlight the Best of Sharsheret 2009. Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year.

Sharsheret's genetics poster abstract, To Test or Not to Test: The Influence of Ashkenazi Jewish Ethnicity, was chosen for display at the International Symposium on Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer and was published in the October edition of  Current Oncology.

Sharsheret presented education and outreach events in cities nationwide, including Austin, TX; Detroit, MI; East Brunswick, NJ; Hollywood, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Rockville, MD; and Scotch Plains, NJ.

More than 800 runners and walkers joined the first-ever Boca Raton Synagogue Sisterhood's Annual Run/Walk for Sharsheret, organized by local volunteers.

Founder and Executive Director Rochelle Shoretz shared her personal journey through breast cancer in an exclusive interview on Fox 5 News NY.

Sharsheret Link, Meredith Fried of Needham, Massachusetts, was featured in Jewish newspapers accross the country highlighting her inspiring story.

Manicure for the Cure events raised breast cancer awareness among thousands of students on 16 college campuses nationwide.

Annual Benefit Luncheon honored authors and breast cancer survivors, Rochelle Hirsch and Naava Parker, and musical artist, Suffy Rudman.

Want A Slot In The NYC Triathlon This July?

Whether you've raced before or have only dreamed of competing, join Team Sharsheret as we partner with Triathlon Team Full Throttle in the NYC Triathlon, July 18, 2010!

We:

• Provide a coveted slot in the now sold-out Triathlon, race registration, and related fees
• Dress you in official Triathlon gear
• Offer bike training in New York's Central Park and a course in the basics of Triathlon training at Chelsea Piers
• Arm you with 6 months of online running, swim, and bike training routines
• Surround you with athletes who will motivate and inspire you to reach the finish line in support of this important cause

You:

• Agree to raise a minimum of $5,000 for Team Sharsheret to support our national programs (We make it easy, with personalized pledge pages on Sharsheret's website!)
• Notify friends and family of your participation in this year's Triathlon
• Have the competitive experience of a lifetime

For more information about joining Team Sharsheret this year, please e-mail athletes@sharsheret.org with your name, your phone number, and a brief description of who you are and why you want to join Team Sharsheret this year.

But ACT FAST! We have only 5 Triathlon slots this year, and they are sure to go quickly.

See you at the finish line!

Happy Chanukah from the Women of Embrace

Twice a month, Sharsheret’s Embrace support group for women living with advanced breast cancer meets via teleconference. One group session is topic-driven and the second group session is social, where the members catch up with one another and share information. Last week, our group focused on the topic of drawing inspiration from the story of Chanukah. We would like to share our insights here with all of you as a special gift to the women of Sharsheret. Best wishes for a Happy Chanukah!

The theme of the Chanukah story is how the weak overcame the mighty. The Greek army was large, powerful, and certainly mighty. The Jewish army, the Maccabees, were much smaller in comparison and were certainly considered the weaker of the two forces. Yet, the Jews conquered their enemies and succeeded. This metaphor can also be applied to the fight against breast cancer. There are times when the cancer can feel mighty. Even cancer treatment can feel mighty and can weaken a person. Yet, treatment can also be considered an arsenal against the mighty cancer. When a woman is weakened by cancer or treatment, what resources, both internal and external, can she rely on to overcome the mighty?

We also discussed the She’hechyanu (who has given us life) prayer that is sung on the first night of Chanukah when the candles are lit. This prayer resonated differently with each woman as we reflected on what is happening in our individual lives at the moment. Some women felt grateful to have been given the life that they have, even though they were presented with a cancer diagnosis. Others connected with sustaining life and feeling grateful for the arsenal of treatment available to women facing breast cancer.

Finally, we discussed the light from the candles. Light is often synonymous with hope. The Maccabees were running out of light. Were there times they experienced hopelessness? We know from the story that they never gave up hope and were fortunate to experience a miracle. They were granted enough light to help them conquer the Greeks. Why did the light last for eight days? It would have seemed more natural for the light to have lasted for seven days. After all, seven is a number often seen in Jewish life - seven day of creation, seven days of the week. What can we make of the fact that the light lasted beyond the natural limits? We learn from this story that we are sometimes pushed beyond our limits, and we must therefore, push beyond our natural physical and spiritual limits in order to overcome the mighty.

Celebrate with Sharsheret on Twitter!

Follow Sharsheret on Twitter and help us celebrate #charitytuesday today! Put #charitytuesday in a tweet (Twitter status update) along with @Sharsheret. Ask your friends and Twitter followers to join you in spreading the word about Sharsheret!