Health & Fitness
Healing Power Of Music
Jazz concert to raise ovarian cancer awareness, aid patients.
Shell Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
F
ollowing treatment and surgery
for ovarian cancer eight years
ago, piano and voice teacher
Elaine Greenberg of Farmington Hills
immersed herself into a love of music
— first toward her own recovery — and
then as a way to help others.
When her singing spurred a positive
reaction in cancer patients attending
prayer services and healing programs,
Greenberg — with the help of her hus-
band Shelly — recorded two fundraising
CDs.
"One is all music and is very upbeat and
fun," said Greenberg. "The second one is
a speech and some music that has been
given to newly diagnosed patients as an
inspiration and hope."
Proceeds from sales of the CDs go to
Living For Music, a not-for-profit orga-
nization, created by the Greenbergs, with
donations going directly to aid those deal-
ing with cancer.
Living For Music is also the sponsor of
the annual Cancer Benefit Jazz Concert,
taking place this year at 3 p.m., Sunday
May 18, featuring the Cliff Monear Trio
and Detroit based saxophonist George
Benson. The concert will take place at
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, where
Greenberg is a former junior choir direc-
tor, religious school music coordinator
and cantorial soloist.
A photo taken in the synagogue's gar-
dens graces the cover of her first CD, "to
show how important temple and my cler-
gy were to my healing:' said Greenberg,
who sings to and with cancer patients
and is a motivational speaker for cancer
patients, survivors and their families giv-
ing what she calls, the "Healing Power of
Music" speech.
"It is all about using the medium of
music to make you forget any pain and
emotional upheaval:' she said. "You can
lose yourself in the beauty of the music,
the brilliance of the words. People medi-
tate to music; it is relaxing. People exercise
to music; it is invigorating. People pray
with music; it is spiritual.
"I try to keep most of my music upbeat,
but I do have several songs, that remind
us that life isn't all rose-colored glasses. I
sing the song, 'I Whistle A Happy Tune' to
address the fear that every cancer survivor
lives with; 'High Hopes' because if you
listen to the words of that song carefully,
To order tickets for Living For
Music's 3 p.m., Sunday, May 18,
Cancer Benefit Jazz Concert at
Temple Israel, send a check, made
out to Living For Music, to: Living
For Music, 34056 W.13 Mile,
Farmington Hills, MI 48331. Cost is
$30/adult; $15/guests age15 and
younger. Tickets will be held at the
door. Tickets may also be purchased
at the door. For information, e-mail
jazzconcert08@gmail.com or call
(248) 661-6344.
To purchase Elaine Greenberg's CD's,
with proceeds going to Living For
Music, access the Web site at:
www.livingformusic.com .
❑
Elaine Greenberg
it tells you that you can do anything if you
have 'high hopes.'"
Greenberg also is involved in the
Survivors Teaching Students program. "It
involves ovarian cancer survivors speak-
ing to medical students in their third year
(obstetrics-gynecology) rotation, teaching
them about the symptoms, etc., of ovar-
ian cancer:' she said. "I will do anything I
can to spread the word and hopefully save
lives."
According to the American Cancer
Society, ovarian cancer ranks fifth as the
cause of cancer deaths in women, with
the diagnosis of more than 22,000 new
cases estimated this year in the U.S. About
two-thirds of women with ovarian cancer
are 55 or older, and it is slightly more
common in white women than African-
American women.
Involved Friends
The concert's honorary chairperson, Fox-2
News health reporter,
Lila Lazarus, also is
a part of Greenberg's
synagogue life. "Lila
was in my junior choir
at Temple Israel when
she was 7 years old:'
Greenberg said. "She
has
been a wonderful
Lila Lazarus
resource person for me
in dealing with ovarian cancer."
Said Lazarus, "I, too, believe in the heal-
ing power of music. And any time we can
end the silence connected to ovarian can-
cer, we're doing a good deed. So often, the
symptoms are so mild and patients and
doctors don't think it's connected to the
ovaries until it's too late.
"Let me take the opportunity to play
health reporter and remind people of
the symptoms to look for: An unusual
feeling of fullness or discomfort in the
pelvic region, unusual indigestion, gas, or
bloating that is not relieved with over-the-
counter antacids; pain during intercourse;
abnormal bleeding; pain or swelling in the
abdomen;' said Lazarus.
The evening of the concert, 10 percent
of dinner bill amounts at Matt Prentice
Restaurant Group's Deli Unique in West
Bloomfield will go to Living For Music, for
those who present their concert ticket.
Prentice, the restaurant group's CEO,
is caterer at Temple Israel. Deli Unique's
lead manager, Katey Moses, became
Greenberg's co-chair for the concert after
getting to know her and her husband as
restaurant customers.
"Elaine and I got to talking one day
about how she is a survivor of ovarian
cancer, and I found her to be such an
inspiration',' Moses said.
"Because I am such a music lover of all
kinds, I told her that I would love to help
out in any way I could for her concert last
year. It's not only enjoyable but it's a mitz-
vah as well. Every small mitzvah you can do
in life can make you feel that much better."
Added Greenberg, "The concert was so
much fun last year and we plan on repeat-
ing that. The Cliff Monear Trio is the best
and George Benson plays that sax like no
one else." Greenberg, also, will be perform-
ing as will her 15-year-old piano student.
Jeremy Sherman of West Bloomfield, who
writes his own music and who played at
last year's concert.
"I am trying to show the audience not
only the beauty of jazz, but the young
talent that is out there making beautiful
music:' she said. "However, besides having
a great musical evening, the people who
support the concert are helping us to give
something very special to those who are
dealing with cancer.
"We give on a very personal basis
directly to the patient, to the survivor. We
do not give money to a fund that is gen-
eral. We want to put a smile on the faces
of those receiving our gifts. And I like to
do that personally," she said of delivering
items like CD players to the Barbara Ann
Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit
and gift bags for patients that included
sterling silver, rice-pearl and Suvarski
crystal bracelets, designed and handmade
by last year's concert co-chair, Lindsey
Fox of Farmington Hills, who also created
the Healing Power of Music logo and last
year's and this year's concert flyers.
The group is now in the process of pur-
chasing iPods for a local cancer center, "for
those who spend hours in chemotherapy
chairs:' Greenberg said.
"Though we give to all people with all
different kinds of cancer, the concert will
definitely focus on education and aware-
ness of ovarian cancer;' she said. "We need
to get these symptoms out there so that
women and the medical community as
well know them so that they are diagnosed
at an early stage."
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According to the National Ovarian
Cancer Coalition (www.ovarian.org ),
ovarian cancer symptoms are diffi-
cult to detect in the early stages but
may include pelvic or abdominal pain
or discomfort, vague but persistent
gastrointestinal upsets, frequent uri-
nation, unexplained weight changes,
pelvic or abdominal bloating, ongo-
ing unusual fatigue and unexplained
changes in bowel habits. There is no
consistently reliable screening test
to detect ovarian cancer, but pelvic
exams, ultrasounds and the CA-125
blood test may be beneficial tools.
A pap test does not detect ovarian
cancer.
May 8 . 2008
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