First she made the cards. Next it's T-shirts, a book, underwear ...

about the disease (caught early
enough, it's rarely a killer) and dispel
the misconceptions.
One myth of breast cancer is that
an ensuing radical mastectomy trans-
lates to a flat chest forever, or rather
lopsided, fake-looking breasts at best.
Another is that the cancer always
begins with a lump.
Goldman, who lives in Southfield,
was 36 when she first noticed that the
nipple on her right breast had col-
lapsed. It was the terrible start to a
five-year battle with cancer and all its
accompanying evils: nausea, hair loss,
exhaustion, medication, endless visits
to the physician's office, and friends
who leave.
Goldman trembles just thinking of
it. "It's hard," she says, "remembering
it all."
Noticeably absent from Goldman's
list of cancer side effects is self-pity. In
fact, after surviving three bouts with
the disease — in both breasts, plus
Hodgkin's disease 10 years ago —

Ellen Goldman combined her deter-
mination with her sense of humor
("Whenever breast-cancer survivors
[who have had reconstructive surgery]
get together, one of the first things we
usually say is, 'I'll show you mine if
you show me yours'") and built her
own business, Chemo-Savvy, Inc.
Goldman started out with greeting
cards several months ago. The cards
are already in, or are on their way to,
stores and hospitals nationwide, and
Goldman is working on a book about
her experiences with cancer.
Stores selling her cards locally are
Annette's Unique Boutique in Troy,
Personally Yours-Baskets and Sweets in
Clawson, Women's Health Boutique
in Southfield and Women's Prerogative
in Ferndale.
"We're excited and enthused for
Ellen and we want to help her as
much as we can to promote these
cards," says Judy Neubacher of
Annette's Unique Boutique. "We're
always on the market for new items,

and we've never had anything quite
like this."
"We've had nothing but positive
feedback about the cards," added Joy
Gable of Personally Yours. "I remem-
ber when Ellen had her hard times,
there was never a card that seemed to
speak to what she was going through,
and I was so glad when she came up
with this.
"A former teacher of mine had can-
cer, and I just wish there had been
something like this available then,
something that would make her smile
and at the same time tell her I knew
she was going through hell."

E

radiation, then was gone. Goldman
was sure her days with cancer were
over.
She went to college, where she
studied merchandising and marketing,
then worked in Chicago before return-
ing to Detroit where she managed a
women's clothing store.

llen Goldman was born in
Boston, then moved to
Detroit in her 20s after her
mother, then widowed, set-

tled here.
While in her early 20s, Goldman
was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease,
a cancer of the lymphatic system. It
was treated for three months with

10/3

1997

91