Starting For You, Finishing For Us

By: Rochelle Shoretz, Sharsheret Founder and Executive Director

Dear Heather, Janine, Tami, Natalie, Alyse, Aviva, Penina, Alexa, Melanie, and Amy,

You must be excited. I’ve heard about your training, the months of stretching and practice runs that you’ve plowed through to finish the NYC Half-Marathon on Sunday. You’ve been comparing athletic gear, finish times, running techniques. Many of you are competing for the first time, proving to yourselves that you can take on this challenge. Others have competed before, proving to yourselves that you are stronger and faster than in years past. On Sunday, you’ll stand at the start line with a rush of adrenaline about the personal challenge ahead.

But at the end of your run – when you cross that finish line – you will have raced for us, the women and families of Sharsheret. We will be there – patients and survivors – to say thank you for all you have done to support our journey through breast cancer and ovarian cancer. We will be there – mothers, fathers, sons and daughters – to say thank you for the funds you have raised for the programs that make life so much better for those we love facing cancer. We will be there – friends, community leaders, doctors and nurses – to say thank you for raising awareness about the impact of breast cancer on our Jewish community.

So run your best race for you. We’ll be there at the finish line to say, “Thanks. We know you did it for us.”

Best,
Rochelle

Celebrate Purim With Sharsheret!

Celebrate this joyous holiday with Sharsheret Purim Cards! Our festive Purim Cards are a wonderful way to send best wishes to your family and friends, both near and far. Sharsheret Purim Cards come in packages of 12 for a contribution of $36, with an additional charge for shipping and handling, or you can pick them up at our Teaneck office. To order online, click here. Sharsheret Purim Cards are also available for purchase at The Judaica House, 478 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ.

Join in our 10th Anniversary National Campaign and tell 10 friends to purchase Sharsheret Purim Cards.  Share this blog post with 10 friends now!

How Do You Wear Pink?

Our staff celebrates Pink Day! Top (l to r):
Ellen, Rochelle, Elana, Julie, and Sari.
Bottom (l to r): Rebecca, Shera, and Adina.

By: Tzvi Solomon, Sharsheret Volunteer

Tomorrow, thousands of “soldiers” from 68 schools across the globe will march together. Our army has soldiers stationed in high schools, day schools, college campuses, yeshivot, and seminaries. We like to call ourselves pink soldiers. We are an army that is ready to make a difference. We are an army that is here to show Jewish women and families affected by breast cancer that we stand by them. Our soldiers understand that when one person is hurting, we are all hurting. People may look at us and think that we serve as their hope and inspiration. However, those affected by breast cancer are our hope and inspiration. They inspire us to never give up the fight, to always keep going, and of course, to unite together in the battle against breast cancer. Join us for Sharsheret’s 2nd Annual Pink Day Worldwide and wear pink tomorrow - to school, work, around the house, or at the gym. Join our army of pink soldiers and show your support for Jewish women and families facing breast cancer.

Join Sharsheret's 2nd Annual Pink Day Worldwide tomorrow, Wednesday, February 9th!

Sharsheret's Pink Day Worldwide, launched last year by students on high school and college campuses across the globe, empowers students to educate their peers about breast cancer in the Jewish community and Sharsheret's national programs.

3 easy ways you can join Sharsheret's Pink Day Worldwide:

1. Rally your co-workers, family members, and friends - Ask them to wear pink tomorrow, take a "pink" group photo, collect $5 from each participant, and donate to Sharsheret.

2. Become a Sharsheret Facebook Fan - Change your status to: "February 9th is Sharsheret's 2nd Annual Pink Day Worldwide. Do you have your Pink on? Post this status in honor of Jewish women facing breast cancer." If you took a Pink Day photo, upload it to our page!

3. Donate online - Make your Pink Day donation online at www.sharsheret.org/payonline.php and choose Pink Day 2011 in the drop down menu.

For more information, contact Sharsheret's Program Manager and Campus Liaison Ellen Kleinhaus at ekleinhaus@sharsheret.org.

Watch Rochelle Shoretz Live from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

An Interview with Rochelle Shoretz: Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer

Sharsheret Voted AEPi National Philanthropy!

By: Ellen Kleinhaus, Project Manager and Campus Liaison

I had the privilege of spending this past weekend with Sharsheret’s Founder and Executive Director Rochelle Shoretz at the Alpha Epsilon Pi International Convention in New Orleans.

“As a young woman, I likely fantasized about talking about breasts in a room of 450 men, but I never imagined it would be in this context,” were Rochelle’s opening words as she presented "Sharsheret On Your Campus" to an audience of more than 400 AEPi brothers. She began the presentation surrounded by laughter and finished with a roaring standing ovation. At that moment we knew that together, AEPi and Sharsheret would “Change the Face of Breast Cancer”.

Thank you to AEPi for choosing Sharsheret as one of your national philanthropies and to all the AEPi brothers from across the country who introduced themselves to us and made us feel so welcome. We truly value the knowledge you shared with us over the weekend - your insight into life on campus, the multitude of funny stories, detailed advice about our presentation, and innovative suggestions for campus events. We were most overwhelmed by YOUR gratitude to us for bringing Sharsheret into your lives. We were touched by how many of you thanked us for letting you know that you have a place to send your sisters, mothers, and grandmothers diagnosed with breast cancer for support.

Special thanks to Andy Borans, Adam Teitlebaum, Michael Waitz, Sam Zitin, and the AEPi Philanthropy Task Force for making this partnership possible. Your encouragement and support is so meaningful and we are grateful for our new partnership and our many new friends. We look forward to growing our Sharsheret on Campus program and working with all of our campus partners - AEPhi Sorority, AEPi Fraternity, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, and Chabad on Campus International Foundation - in the years ahead.

Watch an exclusive interview with Team Sharsheret Triathlete Linda Gerstel on Fox 5 NY!

Watch Sharsheret Founder and Executive Director Rochelle Shoretz in an Exclusive TV Interview Featured on Fox 5 News NY

Eight years ago, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time, there was no organization dedicated to supporting young Jewish women facing breast cancer. I was 28 years old, raising two young children, and more than anything, I felt alone.

I have often said that Sharsheret’s success is not the product of one woman’s efforts – that there are thousands of angels who are sitting on my shoulders as Sharsheret grows at a remarkable pace. But these past few months, I have had the privilege of sitting on Sharsheret’s shoulders as I face breast cancer a second time. After my mastectomy in February, I received a Pillow of Support from Sharsheret to elevate my arm, just as so many of you have. Sharsheret’s Link Program has connected me with another woman who opted for the same reconstructive surgery that I was considering. And as I struggle with the concerns of a woman living with Stage IV breast cancer, I have had the support of Sharsheret’s Embrace Program, designed to address the needs of those living with advanced breast cancer. The Sharsheret, the chain, of support that I began eight years ago has come full circle. I began as a link in that chain and now use the strength of other links for my own support.

I am no longer alone in my journey. I have a Sharsheret family.