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Jersey's Helping Hands: Links Form a Chain of Support For Cancer Patients

New Jersey Star Ledger
By Michele Howe
April 4, 2003

Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Star-Ledger Staff

Rochelle Shoretz is an attorney, wife and mother of two sons.

She is also founder and executive director of Sharsheret, a national nonprofit organization designed to provide support and resources to young Jewish women, in their 20s and 30s, who are fighting breast cancer.

Shoretz married Jonathan Mirsky at age 19 and entered Columbia Law School before graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Barnard College in 1995.

After working as a litigator for a New York law firm, a speechwriter intern for former Mayor David Dinkins, and reporter for Business Week magazine, and serving for 2 1/2 years as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, she was ready to spend more time home with her family.

But in July 2001, at age 28, the Teaneck resident was diagnosed with stage-II breast cancer and much of her time was spent struggling with the life-threatening disease. She underwent a lumpectomy, a mastectomy and chemotherapy.

Five months after her diagnosis, Shoretz founded Sharsheret.

"Sharsheret is the Hebrew word for 'chain,' and the goal of the organization is three-fold: to bring women together for mutual support, to serve as a resource center for the general public and to link together young Jewish women who many have particular concerns," she said.

"Before I was diagnosed, I'd never heard of anyone under the age of 30 with cancer, and being a young Jewish person with this disease, married and raising children, my initial instinct was to talk to people with a similar background, but all of the women were older."

A friend put her in touch with another young breast cancer survivor.

"Talking with Lauryn Weiser gave me hope and made me think about ways to give back by helping other young Jewish women get the support and information needed to fight this disease," Shoretz said.

"When the clerkship (with Ginsberg) came to an end, I worried that it would be difficult to find work as meaningful and fulfilling as my work at the court. Founding Sharsheret and watching it grow into a national organization has filled the void that worried me. We are helping women help each other -- connecting, empowering, and supporting hundreds of young women across the country," she added.

Through phone conversations and face-to-face meetings, the organization pairs newly diagnosed women with Sharsheret "Links" -- volunteers who can share their experiences, both personal and medical.

"Right now, I'm just a wife and mother who devotes time to raising my children, ages 7 and 5, during the day and spends a lot of nights helping women help themselves," Shoretz added.

Those nights start at 8:30 p.m. and can last until 4:30 in the morning.

Within seven months of its inception, the organization received more than 400 telephone calls from the general public, according to Shoretz. Women are reaching out from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, Texas, California and Wisconsin.

"They talk about everything -- medical treatments, how their illness can affect intimacy, pregnancy (after diagnosis), child-rearing, genetic risks, and religion," she said.

"For instance, there are issues related to marital purity with Orthodox women, and the Jewish laws regarding those issues happen to be significant. An example would be women who feel uneasy about attending a traditional ritual bath because of scars or baldness," she said.

Missy Stein is among the breast cancer survivors who have joined the ranks of volunteers.

"I was diagnosed with breast cancer exactly a years ago at the age of 36 and I finished chemo in December. I learned about Sharsheret from Lauryn Weiser, who happens to be my cousin's best friend," the Aberdeen resident said.

"Lauryn and everyone at Sharsheret were very helpful and supportive, and I knew I wanted to share the knowledge of my experience with other people, just as they had shared theirs with me. The link that I've helped, I've only spoken to over the phone, but I've met other survivors at Sharsheret events and in my general everyday life," Stein added.

Sharsheret has organized a symposium titled "How Do We Care For Our Children? Issues for Women and Men Facing Breast Cancer," to be held on May 19, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

The event is sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation North Jersey Affiliate, CancerCare, Gilda's Club and the American Cancer Society.

"Many of our callers are young mothers raising children, women seeking guidance in caring for their families during breast cancer treatment. This symposium will explore not only the benefits of open communication with children, but also the difficulties parents face in responding to the needs of their children while the family copes with the trauma of a new diagnosis or the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation," Shoretz said.

In December 2002, Shoretz was awarded one of eight Joshua Venture Fellowships for her work in establishing Sharsheret. The two-year fellowship provides venture funding, entrepreneurial training and technical assistance.

Additional support comes from the IDT Corp., the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation North Jersey Affiliate and private donations.

The organization is headquartered in Hackensack. Information on becoming another "Link" in the Sharsheret chain can be obtained by calling toll free (866) 474-2774 or at www.sharsheret.org.

(This text is from an article at http://www.nj.com.)

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