Get in shape with Sharsheret!

Whether you’re an experienced athlete or a beginner, Team Sharsheret has lots of exciting opportunities to help you stay in shape and challenge your athletic abilities. Check out these events and competitions and let us know which one you want to sign up for!

• Ever dream of running 26.2 miles? Team Sharsheret has slots for the ING NYC Marathon on November 6, 2011! Don’t live in the tri-state area? We offer one round-trip ticket from your U.S. hometown to a NYC area airport! E-mail athletes@sharsheret.org to apply for your slot today and include your name, phone number, and a brief description of yourself and why you want to join Team Sharsheret. For more information, visit Team Sharsheret 2011 ING NYC Marathon.
• Join award-winning Team Sharsheret at the NYC Race for the Cure, September 18, 2011 in Central Park, NYC. Sign up before July 16th and save $5 at www.komennyc.org/goto/sharsheret2011 and click on the words "Join Team".
• Team Sharsheret has slots for the now sold out 2012 Ironman US Championship, a 140.6 mile race, to be held in the greater NYC/NJ area on August 11, 2012. This race will be the first ever Ironman competition in the New York City metropolitan area. For more information, e-mail ekleinhaus@sharsheret.org.

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.

Breast Cancer with a Twist

By: H. Z. Ben-Nahum, Sharsheret Volunteer

Over 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was in my late 40’s, athletic, and health-conscious. The day it all began will be imprinted on my mind forever. I was enjoying a game of tennis, when the ball hit my nipple. I noticed that my nipple had swollen and had not returned to normal even after several days. Concerned, I decided to consult a doctor. I was advised to schedule surgery as soon as possible. I underwent a radical mastectomy, followed by treatment. Genetic testing wasn’t on my radar screen as Myriad Labs only discovered how to test for the BRCA gene five years after my initial diagnosis. I now have two adult children. My daughter recently approached me requesting that I undergo genetic testing because she was worried about her own risk of developing breast cancer. I obliged and am grateful that I tested BRCA-. For now, they will continue to have increased surveillance. I am living with metastatic breast cancer to the lungs, I’m experiencing side effects from treatment, but I stay active and busy. I still worry about my children and their risk of developing cancer, just like all mothers diagnosed with breast cancer. The only thing that makes me different is that I AM THEIR FATHER. I am lending my voice to raise awareness that breast cancer can be passed along from father to daughter. We must continue to protect our futures and those of our children by remembering to include the paternal family history when considering our children’s genetic risk of developing breast cancer. I hope that by sharing my story with Sharsheret, we can save lives.

An Interview with Rochelle Shoretz: Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer