C.

More Inside:

HEALTH, TRAVEL, SPORTS, FOOD

Sports: Kaplan twins
spark Andover baseball

Travel: Locals organize
Israel nature tour

This Week's focus:

Health

Adat Shalom
Rabbi Efiy
Spectre
addresses the
support group.

A new
Jewish cancer
support group
adds spirituality
to the equation.

AMY MINDELL

Special to The Jewish News

hen Robin Myles was
diagnosed with breast
cancer two years ago,
her previously non-
religious husband began attending
Shabbat morning services.
"We both began getting more
spiritual, we felt it would be a good
thing. The whole experience has
brought me closer to my spirituality,
and to God," the West Bloomfield
resident says.
Today, after surgery and
chemotherapy, a new healthy diet
and lots of exercise, Myles feels well,
but the fear of cancer weighs heavily
on her mind.
One of the best forms of comfort
Myles has found is support groups.
She is in three, and credits them
with improving her mood, increas-

ing her hopefulness and offering a
place to talk with people who really
understand what she's been through.
But until now, cancer patients
have not been able to get both pil-
lars of help — support and spiritu-
ality — in a single group.
Many support groups exist, but
in a bewildering array. Jewish spiri-
tuality exists as well, but clergy
members may lack the time and
sensitivity that cancer survivors
require.
A new support group for Jewish
female cancer survivors hopes to fill
this role.
Its first meeting was held at Tem-
ple Beth El in September, with a
second 12-week session now finish-
ing up at Adat Shalom Synagogue.
The support group will be held a
third time, starting in June, and its
leaders hope their particular brand
of healing will help many of metro-

politan Detroit's cancer survivors.
Jewish support group member
Esther Olson was diagnosed in Jan-
uary 1997. She went to six oncolo-
gists, and received six opinions. In
the end, she selected the most
aggressive treatment and joined a
support group.
But she was angry, and unable to
integrate her adherence to a tradi-
tional Jewish lifestyle, including a
kosher home and Hebrew education
for her children, with the tragedy
that befell her.
"When something like this hap-
pens to you, you're in a state of
shock. You lose your reasoning. You
ask God, 'Why is this happening to
me?"' Olson says.
"I did lose some of my faith
when (I was diagnosed). I had a lot
of anger. Then I joined this support
group, and because of it my faith is
returning and it is deeper than
before. I find it deeply comforting."
Experts agree. There is little
debate over the effectiveness of
group support. Study after study
shows that support group members
report reduced pain and longer sur-
vival time. Support group partici-
pation can also lead to longer
survival among breast cancer
patients.
But until now, the spiritual:ele-
ment was not integrated. Women
were expected to muddle through
some of the most challenging theo-
logical queries they would ever ask
— "Why did God do this to me?"
— on their own.
Which is why Patricia Milner
Sachs of the Barbara Ann Karmanos
Cancer Institute and Brenda Beron
of the Michigan Women Psycholo-
gists created the Jewish support
group.
While acting as a traditional sup-
port group in many aspects, the
group also introduces spirituality
and ways that Judaism can enhance
the coping process.
For example, a session in March

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