History
Breast Cancer and the Young Jewish Woman
Mission
Founder's Note
Staff
Advisory Boards
In Their Words

The concerns of pre-menopausal women facing breast cancer are unique. Young women are dating, marrying, having children, and raising children. Their cancers tend to be more aggressive, may result in early menopause, and are associated with higher mortality rates, yet breast cancer research studies often fail to include pre-menopausal women. Young Jewish women face additional concerns, including:

• Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, found in 1 in 40 Ashkenazi women.
• The role of Jewish spirituality in daily life with cancer and in healing.
• Religious ritual affected by breast cancer treatment (i.e., wig-wearing and the use of the Mikvah/ritual bath post-surgery or during chemotherapy).
• Cultural norms surrounding dating, marriage, and fertility.
• Concerns for privacy in what can be a tight-knit community.

According to a 2001 assessment of the breast cancer needs of young women commissioned by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, "Young women need to be able to see and talk to young survivors in order to believe it's possible to survive breast cancer and they are not alone."  Information provided to young women "should be targeted; women need to perceive information as personally relevant to women in their age group and culture."  

Sharsheret's Link Program provides a culturally sensitive peer support network that targets the particular concerns of each caller in a program designed to accommodate the active lives of younger women.  Sharsheret's programs also provide an avenue for young survivors to shape their own difficult cancer experiences into empowering opportunities to support those diagnosed after them.  Sharsheret Outreach and Education Programs educate general breast cancer organizations about the concerns unique to Jewish women so that those organizations may better serve the needs of their Jewish patients.  Sharsheret is the only national organization addressing the concerns of Jewish women of all backgrounds fighting a disease that has significantly impacted Jewish women and men in ways Sharsheret will explore and address in the years ahead.

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